Geometrically Nonlinear Analysis of Structures Using Various Higher Order Solution Methods: A Comparative Analysis for Large Deformation

The suitability of six higher order root solvers is examined for solving the nonlinear equilibrium equations in large deformation analysis of structures.The applied methods have a better convergence rate than the quadratic Newton-Raphson method.These six methods do not require higher order derivatives to achieve a higher convergence rate.Six algorithms are developed to use the higher order methods in place of the Newton-Raphson method to solve the nonlinear equilibrium equations in geometrically nonlinear analysis of structures.The higher order methods are applied to both continuum and discrete problems(spherical shell and dome truss).The computational cost and the sensitivity of the higher order solution methods and the Newton-Raphson method with respect to the load increment size are comparatively investigated.The numerical results reveal that the higher order methods require a lower number of iterations that the Newton-Raphson method to converge.It is also shown that these methods are less sensitive to the variation of the load increment size.As it is indicated in numerical results,the average residual reduces in a lower number of iterations by the application of the higher order methods in the nonlinear analysis of structures.

Geometrical nonlinear stability analyses of cable-truss domes

The nonlinear finite element method is used to analyze the geometrical nonlinear stability of cable truss domes with different cable distributions. The results indicate that the critical load increases evidently when cables, especially diagonal cables, are distributed in the structure. The critical loads of the structure at different rise span ratios are also discussed in this paper. It was shown that the effect of the tensional cable is more evident at small rise span ratio. The buckling of the structure is characterized by a global collapse at small rise span ratio; that the torsional buckling of the radial truss occurs at big rise span ratio; and that at proper rise span ratio, the global collapse and the lateral buckling of the truss occur nearly simultaneously.

Analysis of interlaminar stress and nonlinear dynamic response for composite laminated plates with interfacial damage

By considering the effect of interfacial damage and using the variation principle, three-dimensional nonlinear dynamic governing equations of the laminated plates with interfacial damage are derived based on the general sixdegrees-of-freedom plate theory towards the accurate stress analysis. The solutions of interlaminar stress and nonlinear dynamic response for a simply supported laminated plate with interfacial damage are obtained by using the finite difference method, and the results are validated by comparison with the solution of nonlinear finite element method. In numerical calculations, the effects of interfacial damage on the stress in the interface and the nonlinear dynamic response of laminated plates are discussed.

A Kind of Super-parametric Finite Element for Geometric Nonlinear Analysis of Plates and Shells

A new kind of super parametric finite elements for geometric nonlinear analysis of plates and shells is presented.Besides the nodes on the middle surface, additional virtual nodes are used to determine the normal to the middle surface.There are three displacement d.o.f.for each node of the element, and two transverse shear strains are taken as additional independent d.o.f.for each node on the middle surface.Therefore, the element is suitable for large rotation analysis of plates and shells. It can also be easily applied to the analysis of laminated and sandwich shells and plates.Numerical examples are given to show the accuracy and efficiency of the element.

Modified unified co-rotational framework with beam,shell and brick elements for geometrically nonlinear analysis

The co-rotational finite element formulation is an attractive technique extending the capabilities of an existing high performing linear element to geometrically nonlinear analysis.This paper presents a modified co-rotational framework,unified for beam,shell,and brick elements.A unified zero-spin criterion is proposed to specify the local element frame,whose origin is always located at the centroid.Utilizing this criterion,a spin matrix is introduced,and the local frame is invariant to the element nodal ordering.Additionally,the projector matrix is redefined in a more intuitive way,which is the derivative of local co-rotational element frame with respect to the global one.Furthermore,the nodal rotation is obtained with pseudo vector and instantaneous rotation,under a high-order accurate transformation.The resulting formulations are achieved in unified expression and thus a series of linear elements can be embedded into the framework.Several examples are presented to demonstrate the efficiency and accuracy of the proposed framework for large displacement analysis.

Research on wind-induced responses of a large-scale membrane structure

The wind-induced responses of a large-scale membrane structure, Expo Boulevard, are evaluated in this study. To obtain the wind pressure distribution on the roof surface, a wind tunnel test is performed. A brief analysis of wind pressure on the membrane roof is conducted first and then an analysis of the wind-induced responses of the structure is carried out using a numerical integral method in the time domain. In the process of calculation, the geometrical nonlinearity is taken into account. Results indicate that mean, RSM and peak values of the structure responses increase nonlinearly while the approaching flow velocity increases. Strong nonlinear characteristics are observed in the displacement responses, whereas the responses of nodal stress and cable axial force show minimal nonlinear properties when the membrane structure is subjected to wind loads. Different values of the damping ratio only have a minimal impact on the RSM response of the structure because the background component is a dominant part of the total dynamic response and the resonant component is too small. As the damping ratio increases from 0.02 to 0.05, the RMS responses of vertical displacement, nodal stress and cable axial force decrease by 8.1%, 6.7% and 17.9%, respectively. Since the mean component plays a significant role in the wind-induced response, the values of the gust response factor are not high for Expo Boulevard.

Planar Weak Form Quadrature Beam Elements Based on Absolute Nodal Coordinate Formulation: A Structural Mechanics Approach

A planar nonlinear weak form quadrature beam element of arbitrary number of axial nodes is proposed on the basis of the absolute nodal coordinate formulation (ANCF). Elastic forces of the element are established through geometrically exact beam theory, resulting in good consistency with classical beam theory. Two examples with strong geometrical nonlinearity are presented to verify the effec-tiveness of the formulation.

Analysis of the penalty version of the Arlequin framework for the prediction of structural responses with large deformations

The Arlequin framework proposed by Ben Dhia in 1998 is a flexible and robust method for conducting global/local analysis of structures and materials.A penalty version of the Arlequin framework for the study of structural problems involving large deformation is considered here.The implementation of the penalty-based Arlequin framework into ABAQUS is then explored and the corresponding Arlequin user element subroutine is developed.Geometric nonlinear simulations of a cantilever beam and a shallow arch are conducted and the choice of the coupling operator with an appropriate penalty parameter is studied.The numerical results justify the feasibility of the proposed method,ensuring its further application to more complicated problems involving geometric or material nonlinearities.