A semi-analytical finite element model for the analysis of laminated 3D axisymmetric shells: Bending, free vibration and buckling

A general semi-analytical finite element model is developed for bending, free vibration and buckling analysis of shells of revolution made of laminated orthotropic elastic material. The 3D elasticity theory is used and the equations of motion are obtained by expanding the displacement field and load in the Fourier series in terms of the circumferential coordinate, θ. The coefficients of the expansion are functions of (r, z), and they are approximated using the finite element method. This leads to a semi-analytical finite element in the (r, z) plane. The element is validated by comparing the present results with the analytical and numerical solutions available in the literature.     

A semi-analytical finite element model for the analysis of cylindrical shells made of functionally graded materials

In the present work, a study of free vibrations of functionally graded cylindrical shells made up of isotropic properties is carried out. A semi-analytical axisymmetric finite element model using the 3D linear elastic theory is developed. The 3D equations of motion are reduced to 2D by expanding the displacement field in Fourier series in the circumferential direction, involving circumferential harmonics. The material properties are graded in the thickness direction according to a power law. The model has been verified with simple benchmark problems and the results show that the frequency characteristics are found to be close to published results of isotropic cylindrical shells. New results are included for FGM shells.     

A semi-analytical finite element model for the analysis of cylindrical shells made of functionally graded materials under thermal shock

In the present work, a study of thermoelastic analysis of functionally graded cylindrical shells subjected to transient thermal shock loading is carried out. A semi-analytical axisymmetric finite element model using the three-dimensional linear elasticity theory is developed. The three-dimensional equations of motion are reduced to two-dimensional ones by expanding the displacement field in Fourier series in the circumferential direction involving circumferential harmonics. The material properties are graded in the thickness direction according to a power law. The model has been verified with the results of simple analytical isotropic cylindrical shells subjected to a transient thermal loading. Additional FGM results for stresses and displacements are presented.     

Development of semianalytical axisymmetric shell models with embedded sensors and actuators

This paper presents the development of two semianalytical axisymmetric shell finite element models, which have the possibility of having embedded and/or surface-bonded piezoelectric ring actuators and/or sensors. A mixed finite element approach is used, which combines the equivalent single-layer higher-order shear deformation theory, to represent the mechanical behavior with a layerwise discretization in the thickness direction to represent the distribution of the electrical potential of each piezoelectric layer of the frusta conical finite element. The electrical potential function is represented through a layerwise discretization in the thickness direction and can be assumed linear or quadratic with two or six electrical potential ring nodes per piezoelectric layer. The displacement field and the electrical potential are expanded by Fourier series in the circumferential direction, considering symmetric and anti-symmetric terms. Several examples are presented and discussed to illustrate the accuracy and capabilities of both models.     

Geometrically non-linear analysis of composite structures with integrated piezoelectric sensors and actuators

This paper deals with the geometrically non-linear analysis of thin plate/shell laminated structures with embedded integrated piezoelectric actuators or sensors layers and/or patches. The motivation for the present developments is the lack of studies in the behavior of adaptive structures using geometrically non-linear models, where only very few published works were found in the open literature.

The model is based on the Kirchhoff classical laminated theory and can be applied to plate and shell adaptive structures with arbitrary shape, general mechanical and electrical loadings.

The finite element model is a non-conforming single layer triangular plate/shell element with 18 degrees of freedom for the generalized displacements and one electrical potential degree of freedom for each piezoelectric layer or patch.

An updated Lagrangian formulation associated to Newton–Raphson technique is used to solve incrementally and iteratively the equilibrium equations.

The model is applied in the solution of four illustrative cases, and the results are compared and discussed with alternative solutions when available.     

Modelling and optimization of laminated adaptive shells of revolution

In this paper two shell finite element models are presented for the structural analysis of composite laminated piezoelectric shells. One is an axisymmetric conical frustum with two nodal rings and the other is a conic shell panel with eight nodes. Both models are based in a mixed laminated theory that combines a higher order shear deformation theory for the mechanical displacement field with a layerwise representation with linear functions for the electric potential through each piezoelectric layer. In order to obtain the optimal design sensitivities analysis and optimization techniques based in the nonlinear mathematical programming are used. The design objectives can be the minimization of the deformed structure or the maximization of the natural fundamental frequency and the design variables are the electric potential difference applied to the actuators or the ply thicknesses among others.     

Finite element piezothermoelasticity analysis and the active control of FGM plates with integrated piezoelectric sensors and actuators

 An efficient finite element model is presented for the static and dynamic piezothermoelastic analysis and control of FGM plates under temperature gradient environments using integrated piezoelectric sensor/actuator layers. The properties of an FGM plate are functionally graded in the thickness direction according to a volume fraction power law distribution. A constant displacement-cum-velocity feedback control algorithm that couples the direct and inverse piezoelectric effects is applied to provide active feedback control of the integrated FGM plate in a closed loop system. Numerical results for the static and dynamic control are presented for the FGM plate, which consists of zirconia and aluminum. The effects of the constituent volume fractions and the influence of feedback control gain on the static and dynamic responses of the FGM plates are examined. Received: 13 March 2002 / Accepted: 5 March 2003 The work described in this paper was supported by a grant awarded by the Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China (Project No. CityU 1024/01E).     

A hierarchic 3D finite element for laminated composites

In this paper a new 3D multilayer element is presented for analysis of thick‐walled laminated composites. This element uses two steps to calculate the full stress tensor. In the first step the in‐plane stresses are computed from the material law using a displacement approximation, and then the transverse stresses are calculated from the 3D equilibrium equations. Since the 3D equilibrium equations require high‐order interpolation functions, a hierarchic interpolation of displacements is used. The new element is compared with existing ones, e.g. from MSC.MARC. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A semi-analytical finite element for laminated composite plates

This paper presents a semi-analytical finite element solution for laminated composite plates. The method is based on a mixed variational principle that involves both displacements and stresses. Finite element meshes are only used in the plane of plate, while the through thickness distributions of displacements and stresses are obtained using the method of state equations. Numerical results show that the rate of convergence of the new method is fast and the solutions can be very close to corresponding exact three-dimensional ones. The use of a recursive formulation of the state equations leads to an algebra equation system, from which solution are sought, whose dimension is independent of the numbers of layers of the plate considered.     

Mechanical analysis of 3D braided composites: a finite element model

The analysis of 3D braided composites is more difficult due to its complex microstructure. A new type of finite element method is developed to predict the effective moduli and the local stress within 3D braided composites under the 3D mechanical loading. To verify the present method, the material properties of undamaged 3D braided composites predicted in this paper are compared with the previous work. To demonstrate this method, some examples are analyzed.     

一种基于Layerwise理论的压电复合材料层合圆柱壳机电耦合有限单元

基于Reddy的Layerwise理论,对含压电铺层的复合材料层合壳的静力响应特性进行了理论研究。基于Layerwise理论,推导了含压电层的复合材料层合壳的应变分量与电场强度表达式。利用Hamilton原理和变分法,推导了压电智能层合壳的欧拉-拉格朗日方程,并采用有限元解法,建立了相应的有限元控制方程及其机电耦合刚度矩阵。通过算例结果与文献中的精确解和试验值进行了对比,表明相较于传统的经典层合板壳理论,本文理论方法的有效性和优势性;并分析了径厚比等参量对两端简支压电智能层合壳静力响应值的影响规律。      

Cylindrical bending vibration of functionally graded piezoelectric shells using the method of perturbation

Based on the three-dimensional (3D) piezoelectricity, two asymptotic formulations for the cylindrical bending vibration of simply supported, functionally graded (FG) piezoelectric cylindrical shells with open-circuit and closed-circuit surface conditions are presented. The normal electric displacement and electric potential are prescribed to be zero on the lateral surfaces. In the present asymptotic formulations the material properties are regarded to be heterogeneous through the thickness coordinate. Afterwards, they are further specified to be constant in single-layer shells, to be layerwise constant in multilayered shells and to obey an identical exponent-law distribution in FG shells. The method of multiple time scales is used to eliminate the secular terms arising from the regular asymptotic expansion. The orthonormality and solvability conditions for various orders are derived. The recursive property among the motion equations of various order problems is shown. The present asymptotic formulations are applied to several illustrative examples. The accuracy and the rate of convergence of the present asymptotic solutions are evaluated. The coupled electro–elastic effect and the influence of the material-property gradient index on the free-vibration behavior of FG piezoelectric shells are studied.     

Re-analysis procedure for laminated plates using FSDT finite element model

 A new method is proposed for effective analysis of laminated plates incorporating accurate through-the-thickness distribution of displacements, strains and stresses in the finite element formulation. It is a two-step analysis procedure. In the first step, displacements are obtained using a post-processing procedure based on the three-dimensional stress equilibrium equations and the thermoelasticity equations, from the results of FSDT finite element analysis. In the second step, the higher-order through-the-thickness distribution of displacements are reflected on the subsequent finite element analysis. The effectiveness of the present approach for the analysis of laminated plates is shown by numerical examples. Received: 13 September 2001 / Accepted: 23 May 2002     

A new 4-node quadrilateral FE model with variable electrical degrees of freedom for the analysis of piezoelectric laminated composite plates

A new 4-node quadrilateral finite element is developed for the analysis of laminated composite plates containing distributed piezoelectric layers (surface bonded or embedded). The mechanical part of the element formulation is based on the first-order shear deformation theory. The formulation is established by generalizing that of the high performance Mindlin plate element ARS-Q12, which was derived based on the DKQ element formulation and Timoshenko’s beam theory. The layerwise linear theory is applied to deal with electric potential. Therefore, the number of electrical DOF is a variable depending on the number of plate sub-layers. Thus, there is no need to make any special assumptions with regards to the through-thickness variation of the electric potential, which is the true situation. Furthermore, a new “partial hybrid”-enhanced procedure is presented to improve the stresses solutions, especially for the calculation of transverse shear stresses. The proposed element, denoted as CTMQE, is free of shear locking and it exhibits excellent capability in the analysis of thin to moderately thick piezoelectric laminated composite plates.     

Multiscale analysis of laminated plates with integrated piezoelectric fiber composite actuators

This study is concerned with the detailed analysis of fiber-reinforced composite plates with integrated piezoceramic fiber composite actuators. A multiscale framework based on the asymptotic expansion homogenization method is used to couple the microscale and macroscale field variables. The microscale fluctuations in the mechanical displacement and electric potential are related to the macroscale deformation and electric fields through 36 distinct characteristic functions. The local mechanical and charge equilibrium equations yield a system of partial differential equations for the characteristic functions that are solved using the finite element method. The homogenized electroelastic properties of a representative material element are computed using the characteristic functions and the material properties of the fiber and matrix. The three-dimensional macroscopic equilibrium equations for a laminated piezoelectric plate are solved analytically using the Eshelby-Stroh formalism. The formulation admits different boundary conditions at the edges and is applicable to thick and thin laminated plates. The microscale stresses and electric displacement in the fibers and matrix are computed from the macroscale fields through interscale transfer operators. The multiscale analysis procedure is illustrated using two model problems. In the first model problem, a simply-supported sandwich plate consisting of a piezoceramic fiber composite shear actuator embedded between two graphite/polymer layers is studied. The second model problem concerns a cantilever graphite/polymer substrate with segmented piezoceramic fiber composite extension actuators attached to its top and bottom surfaces. Results are presented for the homogenized material properties, macroscale deformation, macroscale average stresses and microscale stress distributions.     

Finite element analysis of piezoelectric corner configurations and cracks accounting for different electrical permeabilities

Based on eigenfunctions of asymptotic singular electro-elastic fields obtained from a kind of ad hoc finite element method [Chen MC, Zhu JJ, Sze KY. Finite element analysis of piezoelectric elasticity with singular inplane electroelastic fields. Engng Fract Mech 2006;73(7):855-68], a super corner-tip element model is established from the generalized Hellinger-Reissner variational functional and then incorporated into the regular hybrid-stress finite element to determine the coefficients of asymptotic singular electro-elastic fields near a corner-tip. The focus of this paper is not to discuss the well-known behavior of electrically impermeable and permeable (usually it means fully permeable, hereinafter the same) cracks but analyze the limited permeable crack-like corner configurations embedded in the piezoelectric materials, i.e., study the influence of a dielectric medium inside the corner on the singular electro-elastic fields near the corner-tip. The boundary conditions of the impermeable or permeable corner can be considered as simple approximations representing upper and lower bounds for the electrical energy penetrating the corner. Benchmark examples on the piezoelectric crack problems show that present method yields satisfactory results with fewer elements than existing finite element methods do. As application, a piezoelectric corner configuration accounting for the limited permeable boundary condition is investigated, and it is found that the limited permeable assumption is necessary for corners with very small notch angles.     

Nonlinear finite element analysis of laminated composite shells in hygrothermal environments

The large deflection bending behaviour of composite cylindrical shell panels subjected to hygrothermal environments is investigated in this paper. The present finite element formulation considers doubly curved thick shells and includes large deformations with Green–Lagrange strains. The analysis is carried out using quadratic eight-noded isoparametric element and the problem is solved using the incremental modified Newton–Raphson scheme. A parametric study is carried out varying the curvature ratios of composite cylindrical shell panels with simply supported and clamped support conditions.     

Elliptically delaminated buckling near the surface of piezoelectric laminated shells under electric and thermal loads

This paper reports the result of an investigation into the local buckling for the delimitation of an elliptic shape near the surface of piezoelectric laminated shells, where local delaminated sub-shells may be monolayer and multiplayer, and the geometrical axes of elliptically delaminated sub-shells are inconsistent with the geometrical main axes of piezoelectric laminated base-shells. From example calculations, the effects of the geometrical and physical parameters, stacking models of piezoelectric laminated base-shells, elliptically laminated sub-shells, and coupled electric and thermal loads on the local buckling for elliptically delaminated sub-shells near the surface of piezoelectric laminated base-shells are described and discussed.     

Second-order accurate constraint formulation for subdivision finite element simulation of thin shells

We present a new method for enforcing boundary conditions within subdivision finite element simulations of thin shells. The proposed framework is demonstrated to be second-order accurate with respect to increasing refinement in the displacement and energy norm for simply supported, clamped, free and symmetric boundary conditions. Second-order accuracy on the boundary is consistent with the accuracy of subdivision-based approaches for the interior of a body. Our proposed framework is applicable to both triangular and quadrilateral refinement schemes, and does not impose any topological requirements upon the underlying subdivision control mesh. Several examples from an obstacle course of benchmark problems are used to demonstrate the convergence of the scheme. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

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.