A modified couple stress model for bending analysis of composite laminated beams with first order shear deformation

Based on a modified couple stress theory, a model for composite laminated beam with first order shear deformation is developed. The characteristics of the theory are the use of rotation–displacement as dependent variable and the use of only one constant to describe the material’s micro-structural characteristics. The present model of beam can be viewed as a simplified couple stress theory in engineering mechanics. An example as a cross-ply simply supported beam subjected to cylindrical bending loads of f_w = q₀ sin (πx/L) is adopted and explicit expression of analysis solution is obtained. Numerical results show that the present beam model can capture the scale effects of microstructure, and the deflections and stresses of the present model of couple stress beam are smaller than that by the classical beam mode. Additionally, the present model can be reduced to the classical composite laminated Timoshenko beam model, Isotropic Timoshenko beam model of couple stress theory, classical isotropic Timoshenko beam, composite laminated Bernoulli–Euler beam model of couple stress theory and isotropic Bernoulli–Euler beam of couple stress theory.     

A model of composite laminated Reddy plate of the global-local theory based on new modified couple-stress theory

In this article, based on the global-local theory, a model for a composite laminated Reddy plate of new modified couple-stress theory is developed for the first time. This model satisfies free surface conditions and the geometric and stresses continuity conditions at interfaces. Differing from existing modified couple-stress theory, an anisotropic constitutive relation is suggested. There is only one micro material characteristic length constant in each layer of the composite laminated plate. Principle of virtual work is employed to derive the equilibrium equations and the corresponding boundary conditions. With the example of a cross-ply simple-supported Reddy plate subjected to the bending load q₀ = sin?(πx/L)sin?(πy/L), the transverse shear stresses at interfaces are addressed. Additionally, the numerical results show that the present plate model can capture the scale effect, especially the scale effect of the transverse shear stresses at interfaces of the composite laminated plate.     

Spectral element model for axially loaded bending–shear–torsion coupled composite Timoshenko beams

The use of frequency-dependent spectral element matrix (or exact dynamic stiffness matrix) in structural dynamics is known to provide extremely accurate solutions, while reducing the total number of degrees-of-freedom to resolve the computational and cost problems. Thus, in this paper, the spectral element model is developed for an axially loaded bending–shear–torsion coupled composite laminated beam which is represented by the Timoshenko beam model based on the first-order shear deformation theory. The high accuracy of the spectral element model is then numerically verified by comparing with exact theoretical solutions or the solutions obtained by conventional finite element method. For the numerical verification, the finite element model is also provided for the composite laminated beam.     

Strain gradient elasticity and modified couple stress models for buckling analysis of axially loaded micro-scaled beams

A class of higher-order continuum theories, such as modified couple stress, nonlocal elasticity, micropolar elasticity (Cosserat theory) and strain gradient elasticity has been recently employed to the mechanical modeling of micro- and nano-sized structures. In this article, however, we address stability problem of micro-sized beam based on the strain gradient elasticity and couple stress theories, firstly. Analytical solution of stability problem for axially loaded nano-sized beams based on strain gradient elasticity and modified couple stress theories are presented. Bernoulli–Euler beam theory is used for modeling. By using the variational principle, the governing equations for buckling and related boundary conditions are obtained in conjunctions with the strain gradient elasticity. Both end simply supported and cantilever boundary conditions are considered. The size effect on the critical buckling load is investigated.     

A new FE model based on higher order zigzag theory for the analysis of laminated sandwich beam with soft core

A new finite element (FE) model has been developed based on higher order zigzag theory (HOZT) for the static analysis of laminated sandwich beam with soft core. In this theory, the in-plane displacement variation is considered to be cubic for both the face sheets and the core. The transverse displacement is assumed to vary quadratically within the core while it remains constant in the faces beyond the core. The proposed model satisfies the condition of transverse shear stress continuity at the layer interfaces and the zero transverse shear stress condition at the top and bottom of the beam. The nodal field variables are chosen in an efficient manner to overcome the problem of continuity requirement of the derivatives of transverse displacements. A C₀ quadratic beam finite element is implemented to model the HOZT for the present analysis. Numerical examples covering different features of laminated composite and sandwich beams are presented to illustrate the accuracy of the present model. Many new results are also presented which should be useful for future research.     

The modified couple stress functionally graded Timoshenko beam formulation

In this paper, a size-dependent formulation is presented for Timoshenko beams made of a functionally graded material (FGM). The formulation is developed on the basis of the modified couple stress theory. The modified couple stress theory is a non-classic continuum theory capable to capture the small-scale size effects in the mechanical behavior of structures. The beam properties are assumed to vary through the thickness of the beam. The governing differential equations of motion are derived for the proposed modified couple-stress FG Timoshenko beam. The generally valid closed-form analytic expressions are obtained for the static response parameters. As case studies, the static and free vibration of the new model are respectively investigated for FG cantilever and FG simply supported beams in which properties are varying according to a power law. The results indicate that modeling beams on the basis of the couple stress theory causes more stiffness than modeling based on the classical continuum theory, such that for beams with small thickness, a significant difference between the results of these two theories is observed.     

A theory of one-dimensional fracture

A completely analytical theory is developed for the mixed mode partition of one-dimensional fracture in laminated composite beams and plates. Two sets of orthogonal pure modes are determined first. It is found that they are distinct from each other in Euler beam or plate theory and coincide at the Wang-Harvey set in Timoshenko beam or plate theory. After the Wang-Harvey set is proved to form a unique complete orthogonal pure mode basis within the contexts of both Euler and Timoshenko beam or plate theories, it is used to partition a mixed mode. Stealthy interactions are found between the Wang-Harvey pure mode I modes and mode II modes in Euler beam or plate theory, which alter the partitions of a mixed mode. The finite element method is developed to validate the analytical theories.     

Experimental assessment of mixed-mode partition theories

The propagation of mixed-mode interlaminar fractures is investigated using existing experimental results from the literature and various partition theories. These are (i) a partition theory by Williams (1988) based on Euler beam theory; (ii) a partition theory by Suo (1990) and Hutchinson and Suo (1992) based on 2D elasticity; and (iii) the Wang–Harvey partition theories of the authors based on the Euler and Timoshenko beam theories. The Wang–Harvey Euler beam partition theory seems to offer the best and most simple explanation for all the experimental observations. No recourse to fracture surface roughness or new failure criteria is required. It is in excellent agreement with the linear failure locus and is significantly closer than other partition theories. It is also demonstrated that the global partition of energy release rate when using the Wang–Harvey Timoshenko beam or averaged partition theories or 2D elasticity exactly corresponds with the partition from the Wang–Harvey Euler beam partition theory. It is therefore concluded that the excellent performance of the Wang–Harvey Euler beam partition theory is either due to the failure of materials generally being based on global partitions or that for the specimens tested, the through-thickness shear effect is negligibly small. Further experimental investigations are definitely required.     

C beam elements based on the Refined Zigzag Theory for multilayered composite and sandwich laminates

The paper deals with the development and computational assessment of three- and two-node beam finite elements based on the Refined Zigzag Theory (RZT) for the analysis of multilayered composite and sandwich beams. RZT is a recently proposed structural theory that accounts for the stretching, bending, and transverse shear deformations, and which provides substantial improvements over previously developed zigzag and higher-order theories. This new theory is analytically rigorous, variationally consistent, and computationally attractive. The theory is not affected by anomalies of most previous zigzag and higher-order theories, such as the vanishing of transverse shear stress and force at clamped boundaries. In contrast to Timoshenko theory, RZT does not employ shear correction factors to yield accurate results. From the computational mechanics perspective RZT requires C⁰-continuous shape functions and thus enables the development of efficient displacement-type finite elements. The focus of this paper is to explore several low-order beam finite elements that offer the best compromise between computational efficiency and accuracy. The initial attention is on the choice of shape functions that do not admit shear locking effects in slender beams. For this purpose, anisoparametric (aka interdependent) interpolations are adapted to approximate the four independent kinematic variables that are necessary to model the planar beam deformations. To achieve simple two-node elements, several types of constraint conditions are examined and corresponding deflection shape-functions are derived. It is recognized that the constraint condition requiring a constant variation of the transverse shear force gives rise to a remarkably accurate two-node beam element. The proposed elements and their predictive capabilities are assessed using several elastostatic example problems, where simply supported and cantilevered beams are analyzed over a range of lamination sequences, heterogeneous material properties, and slenderness ratios.     

A UNIFIED TIMOSHENKO BEAM B-SPLINE RAYLEIGH–RITZ METHOD FOR VIBRATION AND BUCKLING ANALYSIS OF THICK AND THIN BEAMS AND PLATES

First, the shear-locking phenomenon in the wψB_kSRRM^1–3 is investigated and the shear-locking terms are identified in both one-dimensional beam and two-dimensional plate analyses. Subsequently the shear-locking free conditions are proposed and under the guidance of these conditions the Timoshenko beam B-spline Rayleigh–Ritz method, designated as TB_kSRRM, is formulated for vibration analysis of beams based on Timoshenko beam theory and vibration and buckling analysis of isotropic plates or fibre-reinforced composite laminates based on the first-order shear deformation plate theory (SDPT). In TB_kSRRM the number of degrees of freedom is exactly the same as that when the Bernoulli–Euler beam theory or classical plate theory (CPT) is used. However, the TB_kSRRM includes the through-thickness shearing and rotary inertia effects in full. Several numerical applications are presented and they show that this unified approach is extremely efficient for both thick and thin beams and plates. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Modelling and comparative study of viscoelastic laminated composite beam – an operator based finite element approach

Mechanics of Time-Dependent Materials - Finite element formulation of damped laminated composite beam considering both Euler-Bernoulli and Timoshenko beam theory is proposed based on Equivalent...     

Reddy高阶组合梁的非线性有限元分析

该文基于Reddy高阶梁理论,提出了小变形双层组合梁的隐式运动学假定;应用拉格朗日乘子法,将该隐式关系引入到组合梁的最小势能原理,得到了考虑各子梁和粘结滑移层非线性材料特性的高阶组合梁非线性位移法有限单元,且该单元可以容易地转化为非线性Timoshenko和Euler-Bernoulli组合梁有限单元。随后,该研究分别应用提出的Reddy、Timoshenko和Euler-Bernoulli组合梁有限单元对双跨连续钢-混凝土组合梁进行了准静力分析,考察剪切效应对组合梁构件的挠度、粘结层滑移和截面应力的影响,且参数分析了组合梁的跨高比对剪切效应的影响。参数分析表明：短粗组合梁结构往往表现出显著的剪切效应,Newmark假定不再适用。     

Size effect on dynamic stability of functionally graded microbeams based on a modified couple stress theory

Dynamic stability of microbeams made of functionally graded materials (FGMs) is investigated in this paper based on the modified couple stress theory and Timoshenko beam theory. This non-classical Timoshenko beam model contains a material length scale parameter and can interpret the size effect. The material properties of FGM microbeams are assumed to vary in the thickness direction and are estimated though Mori–Tanaka homogenization technique. The higher-order governing equations and boundary conditions are derived by using the Hamilton’s principle. The differential quadrature (DQ) method is employed to convert the governing differential equations into a linear system of Mathieu–Hill equations from which the boundary points on the unstable regions are determined by Bolotin’s method. Free vibration and static buckling are also discussed as subset problems. A parametric study is conducted to investigate the influences of the length scale parameter, gradient index and length-to-thickness ratio on the dynamic stability characteristics of FGM microbeams with hinged–hinged and clamped–clamped end supports. Results show that the size effect on the dynamic stability characteristics is significant only when the thickness of beam has a similar value to the material length scale parameter.     

Shear coefficients for thin-walled composite beams

The shear coefficient in Timoshenko beam theory is obtained for thin-walled beams constructed of laminated panels of composite material using a variation of the method due to Cowper. Formulae are presented for a class of such composite beams. Comparisons are made with Cowper's original formulae for the case of an isotropic beam. The effect of shear deformation under static loading of typical composite beams is investigated. A procedure is outlined for the distribution of plies in the laminated panels to achieve optimal response under static or dynamic loading.     

Winkler地基上修正Timoshenko梁振动分析

利用Bernoulli-Euler梁理论建立的弹性地基梁模型应用广泛,但其在高阶频率及深梁计算中误差较大,利用修正的Timoshenko梁理论建立新的弹性地基梁振动微分方程,由于其在Timoshenko梁的基础上考虑了剪切变形所引起的转动惯量,因而具有更好的精确度。利用ANAYS beam54梁单元进行振动模态的有限元计算,所求结果与理论基本无误差,从而验证了该理论的正确性。基于修正Timoshenko梁振动理论推导出了弹性地基梁双端自由-自由、简支-简支、简支-自由、固支-固支等多种边界条件下的频率超越方程及模态函数。分析了弹性地基梁在不同理论下不同约束条件及不同高跨比情况下的计算结果,从而论证了该理论计算弹性地基梁的适用性。分析了不同弹性地基梁理论下波速、群速度与波数的关系。得到了约束条件和梁长对振动模态及地基刚度对振动频率有重要影响等结论。     

An accurate laminated element for piezoelectric smart beams including peel stress

This paper presents a laminated element for piezoelectric (PZT) smart beams in taking into account peel stresses. In the finite element analysis (FEA) formulation, a coupled electrical and mechanical beam element is used to model PZT patches, and a conventional structural element is used to model a host beam. A continuous adhesive element with shear and peel stiffness is derived to form a PZT laminated element. For a smart beam with a partially bonded PZT patch or distributed PZTs, the laminated element is applied to an area of the host beam with PZTs and the conventional element is used in the host beam where no PZT is bonded. A novel PZT laminated element is firstly derived based on the Timoshenko beam theory, in which the FEA formulation based on the Euler-Bernoulli beam theory can be considered as its special case. FEA numerical results of static and dynamic analyses based on the Euler-Bernoulli beam theory are compared with the exact static and dynamic solutions to validate the present FEA formulation. The present FEA framework based on the Timoshenko beam theory is then used to investigate the effects of PZT debondings on static behaviors and dynamic responses, and an original and effective procedure for detecting debondings in PZT actuators or sensors is proposed.The authors are grateful to the support of the Australian Research Council through a Large Grant Scheme (Grant No. A10009074).     

A nth-order meshless generalization of Reddy’s third-order shear deformation theory for the free vibration on laminated composite plates

In this paper, a nth-order shear deformation theory is proposed to analyze the free vibration of laminated composite plates. The present nth-order shear deformation theory satisfies the zero transverse shear stress boundary conditions on the top and bottom surface of the plate. Reddy’s third-order theory can be considered as a special case of present nth-order theory (n = 3). Natural frequencies of the laminated composite plates with various boundary conditions, side-to-thickness ratios, material properties are computed by present nth-order theory and a meshless radial point collocation method based on the thin plate spline radial basis function. The results are compared with available published results which demonstrate the accuracy and efficiency of present nth-order theory.     

A nonlinear Timoshenko beam formulation based on the modified couple stress theory

This paper presents a nonlinear size-dependent Timoshenko beam model based on the modified couple stress theory, a non-classical continuum theory capable of capturing the size effects. The nonlinear behavior of the new model is due to the present of induced mid-plane stretching, a prevalent phenomenon in beams with two immovable supports. The Hamilton principle is employed to determine the governing partial differential equations as well as the boundary conditions. A hinged–hinged beam is chosen as an example to delineate the nonlinear size-dependent static and free-vibration behaviors of the derived formulation. The solution for the static bending is obtained numerically. The solution for the free-vibration is presented analytically utilizing the method of multiple scales, one of the perturbation techniques.     

Topology optimization of thin‐walled box beam structures based on the higher‐order beam theory

The investigation aims to formulate ground‐structure based topology optimization approach by using a higher‐order beam theory suitable for thin‐walled box beam structures. While earlier studies use the Timoshenko or Euler beams to form a ground‐structure, they are not suitable for a structure consisting of thin‐walled closed beams. The higher‐order beam theory takes into an additional account sectional deformations of a thin‐walled box beam such as warping and distortion. Therefore, a method to connect ground beams at a joint and a technique to represent different joint connectivity states should be investigated for streamlined topology optimization. Several numerical case studies involving different loading and boundary conditions are considered to show the effectiveness of employing a higher‐order beam theory for the ground‐structure based topology optimization of thin‐walled box beam structures. Through the numerical results, this work shows significant difference between optimized beam layouts based on the Timoshenko beam theory and those based on a more accurate higher‐order beam theory for a structure consisting of thin‐walled box beams. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Generalized Timoshenko modelling of composite beam structures: sensitivity analysis and optimal design

This article describes a new approach to design the cross-section layer orientations of composite laminated beam structures. The beams are modelled with realistic cross-sectional geometry and material properties instead of a simplified model. The VABS (the variational asymptotic beam section analysis) methodology is used to compute the cross-sectional model for a generalized Timoshenko model, which was embedded in the finite element solver FEAP. Optimal design is performed with respect to the layers’ orientation. The design sensitivity analysis is analytically formulated and implemented. The direct differentiation method is used to evaluate the response sensitivities with respect to the design variables. Thus, the design sensitivities of the Timoshenko stiffness computed by VABS methodology are imbedded into the modified VABS program and linked to the beam finite element solver. The modified method of feasible directions and sequential quadratic programming algorithms are used to seek the optimal continuous solution of a set of numerical examples. The buckling load associated with the twist–bend instability of cantilever composite beams, which may have several cross-section geometries, is improved in the optimization procedure.