A finite element method for thermoviscoelastic analysis of plane problems

A stress analysis for plane problems in linear thermoviscoelasticity using a finite element formulation is presented. The method employed is based on the assumptions that (1) the material is isotropic, homogeneous and linear, (2) the stress-strain laws are expressed in the hereditary integral form, and (3) the material is thermorheologically simple, which implies that the temperature-time equivalence hypothesis is valid. The associated computer program utilizes isoparametric plane elements.The element matrices that result in the equilibrium equations involve hereditary integrals, and these are approximated by a finite difference scheme for time marching. The solutions for two problems are compared with analytical results evaluated by the integral transform method.For approximate results which require less computer time an alternative form of equilibrium equations utilizing an iterative technique is presented and an example solution is included. Finally, the effect of incompressibility is considered for an axisymmetric numerical example.