The 3-D thermoelastic boundary element method: semi-analytical integration for subparametric triangular elements

In this paper a semi-analytical integration scheme is described which is designed to reduce the errors that can result with the numerical evaluation of integrals with singular integrands. The semi-analytical scheme can be applied to quadratic subparametric triangular elements for use in thermoelastic problems. Established analytical solutions for linear isoparametric triangular elements are combined with standard quadrature techniques to provide an accurate integration scheme for quadratic subparametric triangular elements. The use of subparametric elements provides an efficient means for coupling thermal and elastostatic analyses. It is possible for the same mesh to be employed, with linear isoparametric elements used for thermal analysis and quadratic subparametric elements used for deformation analysis. Numerical tests are performed on simple test problems to demonstrate the advantages of the semi-analytical approach which is shown to be orders of magnitude more accurate than standard quadrature techniques. Moreover, the expected increased accuracy with subparametric elements is also demonstrated. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

复杂边界条件功能梯度板三维分析的半解析方法

推导出适应功能梯度材料构件分析的半解析方法基本算式,并针对功能梯度构件的材料参数随空间坐标变化的特点,将材料参数纳入到力学方程中进行整体积分计算,从而编制统一程序计算不同边界条件下的板件问题.该法适应性强而又简洁高效,且不同于一般的半解析法,可采用一维离散,给出三维分析结果,是一种解决功能梯度构件力学性能分析的有效数值方法.文中用半解析法分析几种具有不同复杂边界条件的功能梯度板,给出了板件的力学量三维分布形态.     

Meshfree analysis and design sensitivity analysis for shell structures

A unified design sensitivity analysis method for a meshfree shell structure with respect to size, shape, and configuration design variables is presented in this paper. A shear deformable shell formulation is characterized by a CAD connection, thickness degeneration, meshfree discretization, and nodal integration. Because of a strong connection to the CAD tool, the design variable is selected from the CAD parameters, and a consistent design velocity field is then computed by perturbing the surface geometric matrix. The material derivative concept is utilized in order to obtain a design sensitivity equation in the parametric domain. Numerical examples show the accuracy and efficiency of the proposed design sensitivity analysis method compared to the analytical solution and the finite difference solution. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Sensitivity and optimization for shape and non‐linear boundary conditions in thermal boundary elements

This paper is concerned with the minimization of functionals of the form ∫_Γ(b) f( h ,T( b, h )) dΓ( b ) where variation of the vector b modifies the shape of the domain Ω on which the potential problem, ?²T=0, is defined. The vector h is dependent on non‐linear boundary conditions that are defined on the boundary Γ. The method proposed is founded on the material derivative adjoint variable method traditionally used for shape optimization. Attention is restricted to problems where the shape of Γ is described by a boundary element mesh, where nodal co‐ordinates are used in the definition of b . Propositions are presented to show how design sensitivities for the modified functional ∫_Γ(b) f( h ,T ( b, h )) dΓ( b ) +∫_Ω(b) λ( b, h ) ?²T( b, h ) dΩ( b ) can be derived more readily with knowledge of the form of the adjoint function λ determined via non‐shape variations. The methods developed in the paper are applied to a problem in pressure die casting, where the objective is the determination of cooling channel shapes for optimum cooling. The results of the method are shown to be highly convergent. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Inclusion boundary reconstruction and sensitivity analysis in electrical impedance tomography

Reconstruction of conductive inclusions in a homogeneous background medium is commonly seen in electrical impedance tomography (EIT). One of the methods to deal with the inclusion reconstruction problems is the shape-based method. With prior knowledge of conductivity of target inclusions, the boundary of inclusions is parameterized by several shape coefficients and recovered from EIT measurements. This paper presents a shape-based inclusion reconstruction method and its numerical implementation with boundary element method (BEM). A shape perturbation method (SPM) is proposed to calculate the shape sensitivity in EIT. To evaluate the accuracy of the presented method, a series of numerical tests are conducted. The characteristics of EIT shape sensitivity are analysed. Some factors influencing the reconstruction performance are discussed.     

Hierarchical universal matrices for triangular finite elements with varying material properties and curved boundaries

The integration required to find the stiffness matrix for a triangular finite element is inexpensive if the polynomial order of the element is low. Higher‐order elements can be handled efficiently by universal matrices provided they are straight‐edged and the material properties are uniform. For curved elements and elements with varying material properties (e.g. non‐linear B–H curves), Gaussian integration is generally used, but becomes expensive for high orders. Two new methods are proposed in which the high‐order part of the integrand is integrated exactly and the results stored in pre‐computed universal matrices. The effect of curved edges and varying material properties is approximated via interpolation. The storage requirement of the procedure is kept to a minimum by using specifically devised basis functions which are hierarchical and possess the three‐fold symmetry of a triangular element. Care has been taken to maintain the conditioning of the basis. One of the new methods is hierarchical in nature and suitable for use in an adaptive integration scheme. Results show that, for a given required accuracy, the new approaches are more efficient than Gauss quadrature for element orders of 4 or greater. The computational advantage increases rapidly with increasing order. Copyright © 1999 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.     

A variational technique for boundary element analysis of 3D fracture mechanics weight functions: static

The dual boundary element method coupled with the weight function technique is developed for the analysis of three-dimensional elastostatic fracture mechanics mixed-mode problems. The weight functions used to calculate the stress intensity factors are defined by the derivatives of traction and displacement for a reference problem. A knowledge of the weight functions allows the stress intensity factors for any loading on the boundary to be calculated by means of a simple boundary integration without singularities. Values of mixed-mode stress intensity factors are presented for an edge crack in a rectangular bar and a slant circular crack embedded in a cylindrical bar, for both uniform tensile and pure bending loads applied to the ends of the bars. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An approximation technique for design sensitivity analysis of the critical load in non‐linear structures

A new technique of approximating design sensitivities of the critical load is presented in this paper. The technique results in stable and reliable estimations of design sensitivities at prebuckling points. Since taking derivatives of an approximated eigenvalue problem gives unstable sensitivities as the point approaches the critical load, the sensitivities are approximated directly from the exact sensitivity expressions. The sensitivities are approximated by applying two common approaches that are used in the critical load estimation and are called ‘one‐ and two‐point approximation’. The reliability and applicability of the proposed technique are demonstrated through several numerical examples of truss and beam structures. Two‐point approximation of design sensitivities gives better results than one‐point approximation. Copyright © 1999 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.     

3D free vibration analysis of elastically supported thick nanocomposite curved panels with finite length and different boundary conditions via 2D GDQ method

Based on the three-dimensional theory of elasticity, free vibration characteristics of nanocomposite panels reinforced by randomly oriented, straight, single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) are considered. The volume fractions of randomly oriented agglomerated SWCNTs are assumed to be graded not only in the radial direction but also in the axial direction of the curved panel. This study presents a 2D six-parameter power-law distribution for CNTs volume fraction of 2D continuously graded nanocomposite that gives designers a powerful tool for flexible designing of structures under multi-functional requirements. The material properties are determined in terms of local volume fractions and material properties by the Mori-Tanaka scheme.     

Sensitivity analysis and shape optimization for preform design in thermo‐mechanical coupled analysis

In complex forging processes, it is essential to find the optimal deformation path and the optimal preform shape that will lead to the desired final shape and service properties. A sensitivity analysis and optimization for preform billet shape in thermo‐mechanical coupled simulation is developed in this work. Non‐linear sensitivity analysis of temperatures, flow‐stresses, strains and strain‐rates are presented with respect to design variables. Both analytical and finite‐difference gradients are employed to validate the effectiveness of sensitivity analysis developed in this work. Numerous iterations of coupled thermo‐mechanical analysis are performed to determine an optimum preform shape based on a given criterion of minimizing the objective function on effective strain variance within the final forging. The design constraints are imposed on die underfill, material scrap, folding defects and temperatures. In addition, a method for material data processing is given in order to determine the flow stress and its derivatives. The shape optimization scheme is demonstrated with the preform designs of an axisymmetric disk and a plane strain problem. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Design sensitivity analysis and optimization of non‐linear transient dynamics. Part I—sizing design

A continuum‐based sizing design sensitivity analysis (DSA) method is presented for the transient dynamic response of non‐linear structural systems with elastic–plastic material and large deformation. The methodology is aimed for applications in non‐linear dynamic problems, such as crashworthiness design. The first‐order variations of the energy forms, load form, and kinematic and structural responses with respect to sizing design variables are derived. To obtain design sensitivities, the direct differentiation method and updated Lagrangian formulation are used since they are more appropriate for the path‐dependent problems than the adjoint variable method and the total Lagrangian formulation, respectively. The central difference method and the finite element method are used to discretize the temporal and spatial domains, respectively. The Hughes–Liu truss/beam element, Jaumann rate of Cauchy stress, rate of deformation tensor, and Jaumann rate‐based incrementally objective stress integration scheme are used to handle the finite strain and rotation. An elastic–plastic material model with combined isotropic/kinematic hardening rule is employed. A key development is to use the radial return algorithm along with the secant iteration method to enforce the consistency condition that prevents the discontinuity of stress sensitivities at the yield point. Numerical results of sizing DSA using DYNA3D yield very good agreement with the finite difference results. Design optimization is carried out using the design sensitivity information. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Post optimization for accurate and efficient reliability‐based design optimization using second‐order reliability method based on importance sampling and its stochastic sensitivity analysis

In this study, a post optimization technique for a correction of inaccurate optimum obtained using first‐order reliability method (FORM) is proposed for accurate reliability‐based design optimization (RBDO). In the proposed method, RBDO using FORM is first performed, and then the proposed second‐order reliability method (SORM) is performed at the optimum obtained using FORM for more accurate reliability assessment and its sensitivity analysis. In the proposed SORM, the Hessian of a performance function is approximated by reusing derivatives information accumulated during previous RBDO iterations using FORM, indicating that additional functional evaluations are not required in the proposed SORM. The proposed SORM calculates a probability of failure and its first‐order and second‐order stochastic sensitivity by applying the importance sampling to a complete second‐order Taylor series of the performance function. The proposed post optimization constructs a second‐order Taylor expansion of the probability of failure using results of the proposed SORM. Because the constructed Taylor expansion is based on the reliability method more accurate than FORM, the corrected optimum using this Taylor expansion can satisfy the target reliability more accurately. In this way, the proposed method simultaneously achieves both efficiency of FORM and accuracy of SORM. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

EURAXLES – A global approach for design,production and maintenance of railway axles: WP2 – development of numerical models for the analysis of railway axles

Current european standards for axle calculations (EN 13103 and EN 13104) are based on an analytical method applying flexural beam principle for critical sections selected by the designer. The method bases on works performed in the 1960s that were introduced to different international reports and recommendations before being adopted by the mentioned european standards. The present procedures for design, production and maintenance of axles lead to reliable products, as shown by the accumulated experience along the last decades. These methods are widely accepted and applied to axle designs in common usage. However, in order to look for optimized products, more accurate modelling techniques like the finite element analysis (FEA) should be adopted, especially for complex structures like powered axles. The characteristics of the finite element models to be applied to railway axles have been analysed in terms of element definition, convergence analysis, boundary conditions, etc. Parametric analyses have been performed to assess the applicability of the models. The numerical models generated have been validated through the comparison with experimental results coming from full scale fatigue tests. Finally, a methodology to design axles using modelling tools as a complement to current european norms is proposed looking for a compromise between the computational effort and the results obtained.