Limit point buckling of a finite beam on a nonlinear foundation

In this paper, we consider an imperfect finite beam lying on a nonlinear foundation, whose dimensionless stiffness is reduced from 1 to k as the beam deflection increases. Periodic equilibrium solutions are found analytically and are in good agreement with a numerical resolution, suggesting that localized buckling does not appear for a finite beam. The equilibrium paths may exhibit a limit point whose existence is related to the imperfection size and the stiffness parameter k through an explicit condition. The limit point decreases with the imperfection size while it increases with the stiffness parameter. We show that the decay/growth rate is sensitive to the restoring force model. The analytical results on the limit load may be of particular interest for engineers in structural mechanics.

The Scheme to Determine the Convergence Term of the Galerkin Method for Dynamic Analysis of Sandwich Plates on Nonlinear Foundations

The vibration of a plate resting on elastic foundations under a moving load is of great significance in the design of many engineering fields,such as the vehicle-pavement system and the aircraft-runway system.Pavements or runways are always laminated structures.The Galerkin truncation method is widely used in the research of vibration.The number of truncation terms directly affects the convergence and accuracy of the response results.However,the selection of the number of truncation terms has not been clearly stated.A nonlinear viscoelastic foundation model under a moving load is established.Based on the natural frequency of linear undisturbed derivative systems,the truncation terms are used to determine the convergence of vibration response.The criterion for the convergence of the Galerkin truncation term is presented.The scheme is related to the natural frequency with high efficiency and practicability.Through the dynamic response of the sandwich beam under a moving load,the feasibility of the scheme is verified.The effects of different system parameters on the scheme and the truncation convergence of dynamic response are presented.The research in this paper can be used as a reference for the study of the vibration of elastic foundation plates.Especially,the model established and the truncation analysis method proposed are helpful for studying the vibration of vehicle-pavement system and related systems.

DYNAMIC ANALYSIS OF ARREST OF BUCKLE PROPAGATION ON A BEAM ON A NONLINEAR ELASTIC FOUNDATION BY FEM

Based on the dynamic governing equation of propagating buckle on a beam on a nonlinear elastic foundation, this paper deals with an important problem of buckle arrest by combining the FEM with a time integration technique. A new conclusion completely different from that by the quasi-static analysis about the buckle arrestor design is drawn. This shows that the inertia of the beam cannot be ignored in the analysis under consideration, especially when the buckle propagation is suddenly stopped by the arrestors.

NONLINEAR RESPONSES OF A FLUID-CONVEYING PIPE EMBEDDED IN NONLINEAR ELASTIC FOUNDATIONS

The nonlinear responses of planar motions of a fluid-conveying pipe embedded in nonlinear elastic foundations are investigated via the differential quadrature method discretization （DQMD） of the governing partial differential equation. For the analytical model, the effect of the nonlinear elastic foundation is modeled by a nonlinear restraining force. By using an iterative algorithm, a set of ordinary differential dynamical equations derived from the equation of motion of the system are solved numerically and then the bifurcations are analyzed. The numerical results, in which the existence of chaos is demonstrated, are presented in the form of phase portraits of the oscillations. The intermittency transition to chaos has been found to arise.

Nonlinear transverse vibrations of a slightly curved beam carrying a concentrated mass

In this study, a slightly curved Euler Bernoulli beam carrying a concentrated mass was handled. The beam was resting on an elastic foundation and simply supported at both ends. Effects of the concentrated mass on nonlin- ear vibrations were investigated. Sinusoidal and parabolic type functions were used as curvature functions. Equations of motion have cubic nonlinearities because of elongations during vibrations. Damping and harmonic excitation terms were added to the equations of motion. Method of mul- tiple scales, a perturbation technique, was used for solving integro-differential equation analytically. Natural frequen- cies were calculated exactly for different mass ratios, mass locations, curvature functions, and linear elastic foundation coefficients. Amplitude-phase modulation equations were found by considering primary resonance case. Effects of nonlinear terms on natural frequencies were calculated. Frequency-amplitude and frequency-response graphs were plotted. Finally effects of concentrated mass and chosen curvature function on nonlinear vibrations were investigated.

Vibration Analysis of Timoshenko Beams on a Nonlinear Elastic Foundation

The vibrations of beams on a nonlinear elastic foundation were analyzed considering the effects of transverse shear deformation and the rotational inertia of beams. A weak form quadrature element method （QEM） is used for the vibration analysis. The fundamental frequencies of beams are presented for various slenderness ratios and nonlinear foundation parameters for both slender and short beams. The results for slender beams compare well with finite element results. The analysis shows that the transverse shear deformation and the nonlinear foundation parameter significantly affect the fundamental frequency of the beams.

Dynamic Analysis and Numerical Simulation of a Kind of Arrestor Arresting Buckle Propagation by FEM

For exact estimation of efficiency of a buckle arrestor, it is necessary to take the effect of structural inertia into account in the analysis of buckle propagation on elastic structures after meeting arrestors. Under this consideration, this paper deals with the dynamics of buckle arrest and its numerical simulation on the basis of the beam system model used by Chater and Hutchinson (1983). The FEM combined with an improving are-length control method is adopted to solve the dynamic equations describing the arresting of buckle propagation. A new group of parameters for arrestor design which differs greatly from that by the quasi-static analysis is obtained. The present results support the conclusion that the inertia of the beam cannot be neglected in such analysis.

Soil-Structure Interaction Analysis of Jack-up Platforms Subjected to Monochrome and Irregular Waves

As jack-up platforms have recently been used in deeper and harsher waters, there has been an increasing demand to understand their behaviour more accurately to develop more sophisticated analysis techniques. One of the areas of significant development has been the modelling of spudean performance, where the load-displacement behaviour of the foundation is required to be included in any numerical model of the structure. In this study, beam on nonlinear winkler foundation （BNWF） modeling--which is based on using nonlinear springs and dampers instead of a continuum soil media--is employed for this purpose. A regular monochrome design wave and an irregular wave representing a design sea state are applied to the platform as lateral loading. By using the BNWF model and assuming a granular soil under spudcans, properties such as soil nonlinear behaviour near the structure, contact phenomena at the interface of soil and spudcan （such as uplifting and rocking）, and geometrical nonlinear behaviour of the structure are studied. Results of this study show that inelastic behaviour of the soil causes an increase in the lateral displacement at the hull elevation and permanent unequal settlement in soil below the spudcans, which are increased by decreasing the friction angle of the sandy soil. In fact, spudeans and the underlying soil cause a relative fixity at the platform support, which changes the dynamic response of the structure compared with the case where the structure is assumed to have a fixed support or pinned support. For simulating this behaviour without explicit modelling of soil-structure interaction （SSI）, moment- rotation curves at the end of platform legs, which are dependent on foundation dimensions and soil characteristics, are obtained. These curves can be used in a simplified model of the platform for considering the relative fixity at the soil- foundation interface.