Nonlinear shell models with seven kinematic parameters

We discuss design of nonlinear finite rotation shell model with seven kinematic displacement-like parameters, which are: three displacements of the middle surface, two rotations of the shell director, and two through-the-thickness stretching parameters. From the theoretical side we examine several possibilities for constructing the enriched kinematic field, which leads to different higher-order 7-parameter shell formulations. From the finite element implementation side a shell director interpolation is identified which eliminates the “curvature thickness locking”. Numerical examples are presented in order to compare different formulations and to illustrate the performance of the developed finite elements.     

Curved shell elements for heat conduction with p-approximation in the shell thickness direction

A finite element formulation is presented for the curved shell elements for heat conduction where the element temperature approximation in the shell thickness direction can be of an arbitrary polynomial order p. This is accomplished by introducing additional nodal variables in the element approximation corresponding to the complete Lagrange interpolating polynomials in the shell thickness direction. This family of elements has the important hierarchical property, i.e. the element properties corresponding to an approximation order p are a subset of the element properties corresponding to an approximation order p + 1. The formulation also enforces continuity or smoothness of temperature across the inter-element boundaries, i.e. C⁰ continuity is guaranteed.

The curved shell geometry is constructed using the co-ordinates of the nodes lying on the middle surface of the shell and the nodal point normals to the middle surface. The element temperature field is defined in terms of hierarchical element approximation functions, nodal temperatures and the derivatives of the nodal temperatures in the element thickness direction corresponding to the complete Lagrange interpolating polynomials. The weak formulation (or the quadratic functional) of the three-dimensional Fourier heat conduction equation is constructed in the Cartesian co-ordinate space. The element properties of the curved shell elements are then derived using the weak formulation (or the quadratic functional) and the hierarchical element approximation. The element matrices and the equivalent heat vectors (resulting from distributed heat flux, convective boundaries and internal heat generation) are all of hierarchical nature. The element formulation permits any desired order of temperature distribution through the shell thickness.

A number of numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the superiority, efficiency and accuracy of the present formulation and the results are also compared with the analytical solutions. For the first three examples, the h-approximation results are also presented for comparison purposes.     

Geometrically non-linear transient analysis of laminated composite and sandwich shells with a refined theory and C finite elements

A C⁰ continuous finite element formulation of a higher order shear deformation theory is presented for predicting the linear and geometrically non-linear, in the sense of von Karman, transient responses of composite and sandwich laminated shells. The displacement model accounts for the non-linear cubic variation of the tangential displacement components through the thickness of the shell and the theory requires no shear correction coefficients. In the time domain, the explicit central difference integrator is used in conjunction with the special mass matrix diagonalization scheme which conserves the total mass of the element and includes effects due to rotary inertia terms. Numerical results for central transverse deflection and stresses are presented for composite and sandwich laminated shells with various boundary conditions subjected to different types of loads and are compared with the results from other sources. Some new results are also included for future reference.     

Upon sector elements for two-dimensional problems

Different sector elements for two-dimensional problems for linear elastic analysis are developed and their utility for different types of problems is discussed. One of these elements (Type 1) fulfils the rigid body criterion for the two translatory motions as well as interelement compatibility conditions. This element is used together with a triangular element for the solution of Kirsch's problem. A considerable accuracy of the results is obtained with a relatively small number of elements.     

Application of penalty functions to a curved isoparametric axisymmetric thick shell element

A curved axisymmetric shell element with three nodes is developed. Quadratic interpolation is used and as the transverse shearing strain is included only first derivatives are required in the calculation of the strains. The element is found to yield accurate solutions for thick circular plates but a penalty factor must be used when the ratio of plate radius to thickness is of the order of 100. With appropriate values of the penalty factor, though, thin plate behaviour is reproduced with reasonable accuracy. Further, it is shown that for all practical purposes the penalty factor need only be based on the plate thickness. This is a useful conclusion in relation to shell analysis where different penalty factor values would otherwise need to be evaluated on the basis of the radius to thickness ratio. Finally the element is shown to give good results for cylindrical and spherical shells.     

Simple and effective elements based upon Timoshenko–Mindlin shell theory

The simple and effective mixed models are developed for the analysis of multilayered anisotropic Timoshenko–Mindlin-type shells. The effects of the transverse shear and transverse normal strains, and laminated anisotropic material response are included. The precise representation of rigid body motions in the displacement patterns of curved shell elements is considered. This consideration requires the development of the strain–displacement equations of the Timoshenko–Mindlin-type theory with regard to their consistency with the rigid body motions. The fundamental unknowns consist of six displacements and eleven strains of the face surfaces of the shell, and 11 stress resultants. The element characteristic arrays are obtained by using the Hu–Washizu mixed variational principle. Numerical results are presented to demonstrate the high accuracy and effectiveness of the developed mixed models and to compare their performance with other finite-element models reported in the literature.     

Nonlinear finite element analysis of elastic frames

A very simple and effective formulation and numerical procedure to remove the restriction of small rotations between two successive increments for the geometrically nonlinear finite element analysis of in-plane frames is presented. A co-rotational formulation combined with small deflection beam theory with the inclusion of the effect of axial force is adopted. A body attached coordinate is used to distinguish between rigid body and deformational rotations. The deformational nodal rotational angles are assumed to be small, and the membrane strain along the deformed beam axis obtained from the elongation of the arc length of the deformed beam element is assumed to be constant. The element internal nodal forces are calculated using the total deformational nodal rotations in the body attached coordinate. The element stiffness matrix is obtained by superimposing the bending and the geometric stiffness matrices of the elementary beam element and the stiffness matrix of the linear bar element. An incremental iterative method based on the Newton-Raphson method combined with a constant arc length control method is employed for the solution of the nonlinear equilibrium equations. In order to improve convergence properties of the equilibrium iteration, a two-cycle iteration scheme is introduced. Numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the accuracy and efficiency of the proposed method.     

Isoparametric axisymmetric shell elements with temperature gradients for heat conduction

This paper presents a finite element formulation for axisymmetric shell heat conduction where temperature gradients through the shell thickness are retained as primary nodal variables. The element geometry is constructed using the coordinates of the nodes lying on the middle surface of the shell and the middle surface nodal point normals. The element temperature field is approximated in terms of element approximation functions, the nodal temperature, and the nodal temperature gradients. The weak formulation of the two-dimensional Fourier heat conduction equation in cylindrical coordinate system is constructed. The finite element properties of the shell element are then derived using the weak formulation and the element temperature field approximation. The formulation permits linear temperature gradients through the shell thickness. Distributed heat flux as well as convective boundaries are permitted on all four faces of the element. Furthermore, the element can also have internal heat generation as well as orthotropic material properties. The superiority of the formulation in terms of efficiency and accuracy is demonstrated. Numerical examples are presented and a comparison is made with the theoretical results.     

Nonlinear shell problem formulation accounting for through-the-thickness stretching and its finite element implementation

We discuss a theoretical formulation of shell model accounting for through-the-thickness stretching, which allows for large deformations and direct use of 3d constitutive equations. Three different possibilities for implementing this model within the framework of the finite element method are examined: one leading to 7 nodal parameters and the remaining two to 6 nodal parameters. The 7-parameter shell model with no simplification of kinematic terms is compared to the 7-parameter shell model which exploits usual simplifications of the Green–Lagrange strains. Two different ways of implementing the incompatible mode method for reducing the number of parameters to 6 are presented. One implementation uses an additive decomposition of the strains and the other an additive decomposition of the deformation gradient. Several numerical examples are given to illustrate performance of the shell elements developed herein.     

Linear constraint equations for continuous support conditions in finite element analysis

Discretised structural models such as by finite elements imply discretised support conditions. In some cases such as plates on elastic foundation or slabs on large interacting columns an improved formulation of the continuous support conditions is desirable. This can be achieved by means of linear constraint equations. The numerical treatment of linear constraints is discussed for the method of elimination of variables as well as for the method of Lagrange multipliers. Then specific constraint equations for different accuracy requirements are derived, which can be used to constrain rectangular flat shell elements of arbitrary shape functions. These constraints introduce six generalized displacements according to the rigid body motions of the element and transmit the corresponding generalized reactions on the nodal degrees of freedom in a way consistent with distributed reactions. The effect on the strain energy of a square shell element is shown for the different constraint equations. As an application, the linear constraints are used to represent the continuous interaction of columns with the plate in a flat slab structure. Comparison of the finite element solutions with analytical results shows that the derived constraint equations allow a considerably improved formulation of continuous support conditions.     

Three dimensional curved shell finite elements for heat conduction

This paper presents a finite element formulation for three dimensional curved shell heat conduction where nodal temperatures and nodal temperature gradients through the shell thickness are retained as primary variables. The three dimensional curved shell geometry is constructed using the coordinates of the nodes lying on the middle surface of the shell and the nodal point normals. The element temperature field is defined in terms of the element approximation functions, nodal temperatures and nodal temperature gradients. The weak formulation of the three dimensional Fourier heat conduction equation is constructed in the Cartesian coordinate system. The properties of the curved shell elements are then derived using the weak formulation and the element temperature approximation. The element formulation permits linear temperature distribution through the element thickness.Distributed heat flux as well as convective boundaries are permitted on all six faces of the element. The element also has internal heat generation as well as orthotropic material capability. The superiority of the formulation in terms of applications, efficiency and accuracy is demonstrated. Numerical examples are presented and comparisons are made with theoretical solutions.     

Shape optimization of axisymmetric shells using a higher-order shear deformation theory

In this paper structural and sensitivity analysis for the optimization of laminated axisymmetric shells subjected to static constraints and arbitrary loading is presented. The shell thickness, radial coordinate of a nodal point, lamina thickness and the angle of orientation of the fibers are the design variables. The objective of the design optimization is the minimization of the volume of the shell or the strain energy. The model is based on a three-node axisymmetric finite element with 24 degrees of freedom. A higher-order theory is developed for the nonlinear distribution of the meridional displacement component through the thickness of the shell. The sensitivities of the discrete model developed are evaluated analytically using a symbolic manipulator. The efficiency and accuracy of the proposed model is discussed with reference to the applications.     

Three dimensional solid-shell transition finite elements for heat conduction

This paper presents a finite element formulation for a special class of finite elements referred to as ‘Solid-Shell Transition Finite Elements’ for three dimensional heat conduction. The solid-shell transition elements are necessary in applications requiring the use of both three dimensional solid elements and the curved shell elements. These elements permit transition from the solid portion of the structure to the shell portion of the structure. A novel feature of the formulation presented here is that nodel temperatures as well as nodal temperature gradients are retained as primary variables. The element geometry is defined in terms of coordinates of the nodes as well as the nodal point normals for the nodes lying on the middle surface of the element. The temperature field with the element is approximated in terms of element approximation functions, nodal temperatures and nodal temperature gradients. The properties of the transition element are then derived using the weak formulation (or the quadratic functional) of the Fourier heat conduction equation in the Cartesian coordinate system and the element temperature approximation. The formulation presented here permits linear temperature distribution in the element thickness direction.

Convective boundaries as well as distributed heat flux is permitted on all six faces of the elements. Furthermore, the element formulation also permits internal heat generation and orthotropic material behavior. Numerical examples are presented firstly to illustrate the accuracy of the formulation and secondly to demonstrate its usefulness in practical application. Numerical results are also compared with the theoretical solutions.     

Transition finite elements with temperature and temperature gradients as primary variables for axisymmetric heat conduction

This paper presents finite element formulation for a special class of elements referred to as “transition finite elements” for axisymmetric heat conduction. The transition elements are necessary in applications requiring the use of both axisymmetric solid elements and axisymmetric shell elements. The elements permit transition from the solid portion of the structure to the shell portion of the structure. A novel feature of the formulation presented here is that nodal temperatures as well as nodal temperature gradients are retained as primary variables. The weak formulation of the Fourier heat conduction equation is constructed in the cylindrical co-ordinate system (r, z). The element geometry is defined in terms of the co-ordinates of the nodes as well as the nodal point normals for the nodes lying on the middle surface of the element. The element temperature field is approximated in terms of element approximation functions, nodal temperatures and the nodal temperature gradients. The properties of the transition elements are then derived using the weak formulation and the element temperature approximation. The formulation presented here permits linear temperature distribution through the element thickness. Convective boundaries as well as distributed heat flux is permitted on all four faces of the element. Furthermore, the element formulation also permits distributed heat flux and orthotropic material behaviour. Numerical examples are presented, first to illustrate the accuracy of the formulation and second to demonstrate its usefulness in practical applications. Numerical results are also compared with the theoretical solutions.     

A nine-node assumed-strain finite element for composite plates and shells

A new finite element for modeling fiber-reinforced composite plates and shells is developed and its performance for static linear problems is evaluated. The element is a nine-node degenerate solid shell element based on a modified Hellinger-Reissner principle with independent inplane and transverse shear strains. Several numerical examples are solved and the solutions are compared with other available finite solutions and with classical lamination theory. The results show that the present element yields accurate solutions for the test problems presented. Convergence characteristics are good, and the solution is relatively insensitive in element distortion. The element is also shown to be free of locking even for thin laminates.     

混合基函数勒让德谱元方法

针对勒让德谱元方法,构造了一类混合局部基函数,并证明了其线性无关特点.在此基础上,给出了一种勒让德谱元计算格式:在元素端点采用局部拉格朗日基函数,在元素内部采用调整后的局部勒让德多项式.进行了正确性和精度测试,数值实验结果表明该方法能够有效地实现高计算精度,且其计算矩阵比经典谱元方法更为简单,并具有良好的数据重用性和稀疏特点.     

Free vibration analysis and optimisation of axisymmetric plates and shells—I. Finite element formulation

This paper deals with the free vibration analysis of shells of revolution using the finite element method. A family of variable thickness, curved C(0) Mindlin-Reissner axisymmetric finite elements is presented which include shear deformation and rotatory inertia effects. The accuracy, convergence and efficiency of these newly developed elements are explored through a series of free vibration analyses of axisymmetric shell structures and the results are compared with those obtained by other analytical and numerical methods. The comparisons show that the method yields very good results with a relatively small number of elements and that estimates for the higher modes can be obtained without any difficulties. A companion paper will consider the structural optimisation of axisymmetric shells undergoing free vibrations.     

Developments of sizing sensitivity analysis with the ABAQUS code

A practical tool is developed to deal with sizing sensitivity analysis of linear and geometrically nonlinear problems. Design variables are selected as cross-sectional areas of bar elements or the thickness of the membrane, beam, plate and shell elements. This tool is considered as a general open interface implemented outside the finite element package. It can extend existing finite element systems from pure structural analysis to engineering design capabilities. The formulation is based on the direct differentiation method. Numerical results are typically provided with the application of the ABAQUS code.     

Improving performance of rigid body dynamics simulation by removing inaccessible regions from geometric models

Rigid body simulations require collision detection for determining contact points between simulated bodies. Collision detection performance can become dramatically slow, if geometric models of rigid bodies have intricate inaccessible regions close to their boundaries, particularly when bodies are in close proximity. As a result, frame rates of rigid body simulations reduce significantly in the states in which bodies come into close proximity. Thus, removing inaccessible regions from models can significantly improve rigid body simulation performance without influencing the simulation accuracy because inaccessible regions do not come in contact during collisions. This paper presents an automated pair-wise contact preserving model simplification approach based upon detection and removing of inaccessible regions of a given model with respect to another colliding model. We introduce a pose independent data-structure called part section signature to perform accessibility queries on 3D models based on a conservative approximation scheme. The developed approximation scheme is conservative and does not oversimplify but may undersimplify models, which ensures that the contact points determined using simplified and unsimplified models are exactly identical. Also, we present a greedy algorithm to reduce the number of simplified models that are needed to be stored for satisfying memory constraints in case of a simulation scene with more than two models. This paper presents test results of the developed simplification algorithm on a variety of part models. We also report results of collision detection performance tests in rigid body simulations using simplified models, which are generated using developed algorithms, and their comparison with the identical performance tests on respective unsimplified models.