Inelastic finite strain analysis of structures subjected to nonproportional loading

The inelastic behaviour of elasto-plastic materials is nonlinear, path-dependent, and is a function of the total plastic strain. For finite strain problems, the total inelastic strain in Lagrangian co-ordinates cannot be decomposed additively. A generalized logarithmic strain which is formulated in ‘updated’ Lagrangian coordinates and obtained by numerical integration of the Lagrangian strain rate is therefore introduced in this paper. By the use of this strain measure, which is additively decomposable, the plasticity model proposed by the authors can be extended to the finite strain range. It is shown that by correlating the generalized plastic modulus in the constitutive relations with the experimental uniaxial true stress-logarithmic strain diagrams, the inelastic behaviour of steel structures subjected to nonproportional loading can be analyzed numerically by using the finite element method.     

Micro-mechanical finite element analysis of Z-pins under mixed-mode loading

This paper presents a three-dimensional micro-mechanical finite element (FE) modelling strategy for predicting the mixed-mode response of single Z-pins inserted in a composite laminate. The modelling approach is based upon a versatile ply-level mesh, which takes into account the significant micro-mechanical features of Z-pinned laminates. The effect of post-cure cool down is also considered in the approach. The Z-pin/laminate interface is modelled by cohesive elements and frictional contact. The progressive failure of the Z-pin is simulated considering shear-driven internal splitting, accounted for using cohesive elements, and tensile fibre failure, modelled using the Weibull’s criterion. The simulation strategy is calibrated and validated via experimental tests performed on single carbon/BMI Z-pins inserted in quasi-isotropic laminate. The effects of the bonding and friction at the Z-pin/laminate interface and the internal Z-pin splitting are discussed. The primary aim is to develop a robust numerical tool and guidelines for designing Z-pins with optimal bridging behaviour.     

Incremental finite element analysis of geometrically altered structures

A conceptually simple, general method is described for the finite element simulation of multi-stage construction and excavation processes, including recognition of nonlinear material behaviour. Anomalous results reported in the literature for simulation of excavation of elastic media are examined, and shown to result from the inconsistent determination of nodal excavation forces from element boundary stresses.     

Non-linear finite element analysis of inserts in composite sandwich structures

In aeronautics, sandwich structures are widely used for secondary structures like flaps, landing gear doors or commercial equipment. The technologies used to join these kinds of structures are numerous: direct bonding or joining, tapered areas, T-joints, etc. The most common is certainly the use of local reinforcement called an insert. The insert technologies are numerous and this study focuses on high load bearing capacity inserts. They were made with a resin moulded in the Nomex™ sandwich core. Such structures are still designed mainly empirically and the lack of efficient numerical models remains a problem. In this study, pull-out tests were conducted on a representative sample and the non-linearities and the types of failure were analysed. Core shear bucking, failures of the potting and perforation of the composites skins are the main modes of failure. For each mode, local experimental and numerical analysis was carried out that led to the identification of the independent non-linear behaviour of each component. Including the results in a global non-linear finite element model gave good prediction of the failure scenario and an acceptable correlation with the tests.     

Elastic-plastic finite element analysis of thermally loaded cracked structures

Two elastic-plastic fracture parameters are considered here,J* and a direct evaluation of the potential energy release rate,G. Both parameters are evaluated from elastic-plastic finite element solutions of thermally loaded structures. The results show a reasonable agreement between the two parameters withG being numerically more stable.J* can be sensitive to mesh details and loading.

---

Résumé On considère dans ce mémoire deux paramètres gouvernant une rupture élastoplastique, l'intégraleJ* et une évaluation directeG de la vitesse de relaxation de l'énergie potentielle. Ces deux paramètres sont évalués à partir d'éléments finis élasto-plastiques, dans le cas de composants sollicités thermiquement. Les résultats font état d'un accord satisfaisant entre les deux paramètres, bien queG apparaissent numériquement plus stable. Le paramètreJ* peut être sensible à des détails du maillage et à sa mise en charge.

     

耦合板结构随机能量有限元分析

基于单频激励下导出的板的能量流分析方程,将其应用推广到板受随机激励的情形,提出了宽带随机激励下板的响应能量及功率流的计算公式。对考虑弯曲和纵波场耦合的板结构给出了计算能量有限元耦合矩阵的一般方法。用能量有限元法对受到两个不相关宽带白噪声激励力作用的L型板的能量响应和功率流进行了计算,结果反映了各波场的能量在空间上的分布和它们在各波场内的流动特性,其中弯曲波场的功率流显示出相向功率流发生汇集和改变流向的特点。对该耦合结构的响应用统计能量分析法进行了求解,其结果与能量有限元法计算结果间较好的一致性验证了随机激励下板的能量有限元分析应用的正确性。     

Hydrostatic fluid loading in non‐linear finite element analysis

Deformation dependent pressure loading on solid structures is created by the interaction of fluids with the deformable surface of a structure. Such fairly simple load models are valid for static and quasi‐static analyses and they are a very efficient tool to represent the influence of a fluid on the behaviour of structures. Completing previous studies on the deformation dependence of the loading with the assumption of finite gas volumes, the current contribution focuses on the influence of modifications of the size and shape of a finite structure containing an incompressible fluid with a free surface. The linearization of the corresponding virtual work expression necessary for a Newton‐type solution leads to additional terms for the volume dependence. Investigating these terms the conservativeness of the problem can be proven by the symmetry of the linearized form. Similarly to gas loading, the discretization of the structure with finite elements leads to standard stiffness matrix forms plus the so‐called load stiffness matrices and a rank‐one update for each filled structure part, if the loaded surface segments are identical with element surfaces. Some numerical examples show the effectiveness of the approach and the necessity to take the corresponding terms in the variational expression and the following linearization into account. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Recent development in the fast corrosion fatigue analysis of offshore structures subject to random wave loading

In many areas of engineering, such as the offshore industry, welded steel joints are widely used as standard structural components. These joints are usually subject to long-term random wave loading and are therefore susceptible to fatigue damage. In many cases, the complex service loading is described by stress (or strain) power spectra, each representing a stationary sea state. These power spectra are obtained from hydrodynamic analysis or in situ monitoring. These will then be used in design calculations, feasibility studies or in-service assessment of fatigue damage on the structures.

Usually, the power spectra will have to be realized into real-time histories and then counted before fatigue analysis can be carried out. On many occasions where a large number of design options or joints need to be analysed, this process becomes very time consuming and expensive. The situation is further complicated by the calculations involving corrosion fatigue for joints in sea water.

The paper will start with a brief presentation of the fatigue analysis procedures for offshore welded joints and several existing models that were derived to bypass the laborious load history analysis mentioned above. More effort, however, will be concentrated on presenting the development of a new model. This model not only provides a more consistent and accurate prediction, but has also been adopted successfully for corrosion fatigue analysis.     

Discrete element methods for the plastic analysis of structures subjected to cyclic loading

Methods for the analysis of complex, highly redundant structures subjected to intermittent loads causing biaxial membrane stress and stress reversal into the plastic range are presented. The Bauschinger effect in multi-axial stress is taken into account by the use of Ziegler's modification of Pragers kinematic hardening theory. The implementation of this plasticity theory in the discrete element methods involves the application of the loading in small increments. A linear relationship between increments of plastic strain and of stress, arising out of the theory, is used in conjunction with a linear matrix equation that governs the elastic behaviour of the structure. In the latter equation, plastic strains are interpreted as initial strains. A solution to the linear matrix equation, expressed in terms either of stress or of total strain, may be obtained by utilizing one of two alternative procedures. The methods are capable of treating materials which exhibit elastic–plastic behaviour involving ideal plasticity, linear or non-linear strain hardening, or limited strain hardening. Application is made to several representative structures. Comparison of some of the results with existing test data for both monotonic and reversed loading shows good correlation.     

Dynamic response of full-scale sandwich composite structures subject to air-blast loading

Glass-fibre reinforced polymer (GFRP) sandwich structures (1.6 m × 1.3 m) were subject to 30 kg charges of C4 explosive at stand-off distances 8–14 m. Experiments provide detailed data for sandwich panel response, which are often used in civil and military structures, where air-blast loading represents a serious threat. High-speed photography, with digital image correlation (DIC), was employed to monitor the deformation of these structures during the blasts. Failure mechanisms were revealed in the DIC data, confirmed in post-test sectioning. The experimental data provides for the development of analytical and computational models. Moreover, it underlines the importance of support boundary conditions with regards to blast mitigation. These findings were analysed further in finite element simulations, where boundary stiffness was, as expected, shown to strongly influence the panel deformation. In-depth parametric studies are ongoing to establish the hierarchy of the various factors that influence the blast response of sandwich composite structures.     

A higher-order finite element for analysis of composite laminated structures

A new six-node higher-order triangular composite layered shell finite element with six degrees of freedom at each node is presented. With respect to the inplane variables, the in-plane and the out-of-plane displacement fields of the element are quadratic and cubic respectively. By using Utku's method (AFFDL-TR-71-160, Air Force Third Conf., Wright Paterson, Ohio, 1971), the transverse shear strain energy is computed directly from the displacement field rather than from the stress couple field. Some typical bending problems for composite laminated beams and plates with different stack sequences are analyzed. Excellent agreements are obtained when compared to the exact solutions, the first order shear deformation theory (FSDT), the higher order shear deformation theory (HSDT) and some other existing finite element models. ‘Shear locking’ is avoided when the plate is thin.     

A finite element for the analysis of reinforced concrete structures

Formulation of a four-node isoparametric element suitable for modelling cracks in reinforced concrete structures is presented. The standard isoparametric element is known to give spurious shear stresses. The conventional remedy of selective integration breaks down in a ‘cracked’ element. It is shown that the proposed formulation gives superior results as compared to both the standard isoparametric element and the conventional selectively integrated element.     

Prediction of fatigue lifetime under multiaxial cyclic loading using finite element analysis

Life prediction for GH4169 superalloy thin tubular and notched specimens were investigated under proportional and nonproportional loading with elastic–plastic finite element analysis (FEA). A strain-controlled tension–torsion loading was carried out by applying the axial and circular displacements on one end of the specimen in the cylindrical coordinate system. Uniaxial cyclic stress–strain data at high temperature were used to describe the multi-linear kinematic hardening of the material. The comparison between FEA and experimental results for thin tubular specimen showed that the built model of FE is reliable. A fatigue damage parameter was proposed to predict the fatigue crack initiation life for notched specimen. The results showed that a good agreement was achieved with experimental data.     

A finite element analysis of cracked square plates and bars under antiplane loading

ABSTRACT Finite element analyses were carried out on cracked 20 mm square plates and bars ranging in thickness from 2.5 mm to a length of 60 mm. The crack extended from the middle of one side of the square to its centre, and was modelled as a narrow, parallel‐sided notch with a semicircular tip. An antiplane loading was applied to the side containing the crack. An infinitely long bar under the antiplane loading used is in pure Mode III. It was found that the central portions of 40, 56 mm and 60 mm long bars were in pure Mode III, and also that K_III was approximately constant. These central portions were therefore representative of an infinitely long bar. Towards the ends of a bar K_III decreased. At the ends of a bar corner point effects meant that Mode II stress intensity factors and displacements were induced in the corner region. The size of the corner region was independent of bar length. In the 2.5, 5 and 10 mm thick plates out of plane bending means that the antiplane loading became a mixed Mode II and Mode III loading. At a centre line K_II is zero by symmetry. Behaviour in the corner region was a function of plate thickness. For both plates and bars, as has been predicted theoretically, the ratio K_II/K_III tends to a constant value as a surface is approached. For a thickness of 20 mm, that is a 20‐mm cube, behaviour represents a transition between plate and bar behaviour.     

An elastic-plastic finite element analysis of crack tip fields under biaxial loading conditions

A square plate containing a central crack and subjected to biaxial stresses has been studied by a finite element analysis. An elastic analysis shows that the crack opening displacement and stress of separation ahead of the crack tip are not affected by the mode of biaxial loading and therefore the stress intensity factor adequately describes the crack tip states in an elastic continuum.

An elastic-plastic analysis involving more than localized yielding at the crack tip provides different solutions of crack tip stress fields and crack face displacements for the different modes of biaxial loading.

The equi-biaxial loading mode causes the greatest separation stress but the smallest plastic shear ear and crack displacement. The shear loading system induces the maximum size of shear ear and crack displacement but the smallest value of crack tip separation stress.

     

A non-proportional loading finite element analysis of continuum damage mechanics for ductile fracture

This paper presents the development of a finite element analysis based on an anisotropic model of continuum damage mechanics theory proposed recently by the authors for ductile fracture under non-proportional loading. The condition of non-proportional loading is formulated by introducing a dynamic co-ordinate system of principal damage allowing the principal direction of damage during the loading to rotate accordingly. The finite element analysis developed under non-proportional loading is applied to predict the crack initiation load of a centre-cracked plate under uniform loading. The predicted load agrees satisfactorily with those determined experimentally with centre-cracked thin plates made of aluminium alloy 2024-T3. The analysis also reveals under non-proportional loading the hysteresis effect of the principal directions of damage and stress. In addition, the influence of varying anisotropic damage coefficients on the crack initiation load and the crack tip displacement profile is also examined. The larger the degree of the anisotropy, the higher the crack initiation load. The magnitude of the crack tip displacement profile is found to be proportional to the degree of material anisotropy.     

The finite element analysis of composite laminates and shell structures subjected to low velocity impact

In this investigation, the composite laminate and shell structures subjected to low velocity impact are studied by the ANSYS/LS-DYNA finite element software. The contact force is calculated by the modified Hertz contact law in conjunction with the loading and unloading processes. In the case of composite laminate, the impact-induced damage including matrix cracking and delamination are predicted by the appropriated failure criteria and the damaged area are plotted. Two types of shell structure, cylindrical and spherical shells, are considered in this paper. The effects of various parameters, such as shell curvature, clamped or simple supported boundary conditions and impactor velocity are examined through the parametric study. Numerical results show that structures with greater stiffness, such as smaller curvature and clamped boundary condition, result to a larger contact force and a smaller deflection. The impact response of the structure is proportional to the impactor velocity.     

Limit analysis of cracked structures by mathematical programming and finite element technique

Limit analysis of cracked structures using mathematical programming and finite element method is presented. This direct algorithm is based on a proposition of the modified Markov variational principle. The obtained upper bound formula is applicable with any kinematic admissible finite elements. The regularization of plastic dissipation function is performed to overcome the indetermination of the objective gradient in the rigid region and to realize a smooth transition of the objective function between the plastified and non-plastified regions. In order to simulate the singularity of crack-tip strain field for an ideal plastic model, the separate-point degenerated finite elements are used around the crack tips. This improves the precision of limit solutions. Numerical results of plane and axisymmetric cracked structures are extensively compared with analytic ones. The application of limit analysis in fracture mechanics is illustrated by an example. Received 25 November 1998