Full－range nonlinear analysis of fatigue behaviors of reinforced concrete structures by finite element method

The offshore reinforced concrete structures are always subject to cyclic load, such as wave load.In this paper a new finite element analysis model is developed to analyze the stress and strain state of reinforced concrete structures including offshore concrete structures, subject to any number of the cyclic load. On the basis of the anal ysis of the experimental data,this model simplifies the number of cycles-total cyclic strain curve of concrete as three straight line segments,and it is assumed that the stress-strain curves of different cycles in each segment are the same, thus the elastoplastic analysis is only needed for the first cycle of each segment, and the stress or strain corresponding to any number of cycles can be obtained by superposition of stress or strain obtained by the above e lastoplastic analysis based on the cyclic numbers in each segment.This model spends less computer time,and can obtain the stress and strain states of the structures after any number of cycles.The endochronic-damage and ideal offshore concrete platform subject to cyclic loading are experimented and analyzed by the finite element method based on the model proposed in this paper. The results between the experiment and the finite element analysis are in good agreement,which demonstrates the validity and accuracy of the proposed model.

Cracking analysis of fracture mechanics by the finite element method of lines(FEMOL)

The Finite Element Method of Lines （FEMOL） is a semi-analytic approach and takes a position between FEM and analytic methods. First, FEMOL in Fracture Mechanics is presented in detail. Then, the method is applied to a set of examples such as edge-crack plate, the central-crack plate, the plate with cracks emanating from a hole under tensile or under combination loads of tensile and bending. Their dimensionless stress distribution, the stress intensify factor （SIF） and crack opening displacement （COD） are obtained, and comparison with known solutions by other methods are reported. It is found that a good accuracy is achieved by FEMOL. The method is successfully modified to remarkably increase the accuracy and reduce convergence difficulties. So it is a very useful and new tool in studying fracture mechanics problems.

A FINITE ELEMENT METHOD FOR STRESS ANALYSIS OR ELASTOPLASTIC BODY WITH POLYGONAL LINE STRAIN——HARDENING

In this paper, the stress-strain curve of material is fitted by polygonal line composed of three lines. According to the theory of proportional loading in elastoplasticity, we simplify the complete stress-strain relations, which are given by the increment theory of elastoplasticity. Thus, the finite element equation with the solution of displacement is derived. The assemblage elastoplastic stiffness matrix can be obtained by adding something to the elastic matrix, hence it will shorten the computing time. The determination of every loading increment follows the von Mises yield criteria. The iterative method is used in computation. It omits the redecomposition of the assemblage stiffness matrix and it will step further to shorten the computing time. Illustrations are given to the high-order element application departure from proportional loading, the computation of unloading fitting to the curve and the problem of load estimation.

THE RATIONALISM THEORY AND ITS FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS METHOD OF SHELL STRUCTURES

In this paper, a kind of rationalism theory of shell is established which is of different mechanic characters in tension and in compression, and the finite element numerical analysis method is also described.

FINITE ELEMENT METHOD COMBINED WITH DYNAMIC PHOTOELASTIC ANALYSIS TO DETERMINE DYNAMIC STRESS-INTENSITY FACTORS

The present paper is addressed to the finite element method combined with dynamic photoelastic analysis of propagating cracks, that is, on the basis of [1] by Chien Wei-zang, finite elements which incorporate the propagating crack-tip singularity intrinsic to two-dimensional elasticity are employed. THe relation between crack opening length and time step obtained from dynamic photoelaslie analysis is used as a definite condition for solving the dynamic equations and simulating the crack propagations as well As an example, the impact response of dynamie-bending-test specimen is investigated and the dynamic stress-intensity factor obtained from the mentioned finite element analysis and dynamic photoelasticity is in reasonable agreement with each other.

A WEIGHTED PENALTY FINITE ELEMENT METHOD FOR THE ANALYSIS OF POWER-LAW FLUID FLOW PROBLEMS

In this paper, a new finite element method for the flow analysis of the viscous incompressible power-law fluid is proposed by the use of penalty-hybrid/mixed finite element formulation and by the introduction of an alternative perturbation, which is weighted by viscosity, of the continuity equation. A numerical example is presented to exhibit the efficiency of the method.

THE APPLICATION OF COMPATIBLE STRESS ITERATIVE METHOD IN DYNAMIC FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS OF HIGH VELOCITY IMPACT

There is a common difficulty in elastic-plastic impact codes such as EPIC[2,3] NONSAP[4], etc.. Most of these codes use the simple linear functions usually taken from static problem to represent the displacement components. In such finite element formulation, the stress components are constant in each element and they are discontinuous in any two neighboring elements. Therefore, the bases of using the virtual work principle in such elements are unreliable. In this paper, we introduce a new method, namely, the compatible stress iterative method, to eliminate the above-said difficulty. The calculated examples show that the calculation using the new method in dynamic finite element analysis of high velocity impact is valid and stable, and the element stiffness can be somewhat reduced.

Finite element analysis of dynamic response and structure borne noise of gearbox

A dynamic finite element method combined with finite element mixed formula for contact problem is used to analyze the dynamic characteristics of gear system. Considering the stiffness excitation, error excitation and meshing shock excitation, the dynamic finite element model is established for the entire gear system which includes gears, shafts, bearings and gearbox housing. By the software of I-DEAS, the natural frequency, normal mode, dynamic time-domain response, frequency-domain response and one-third octave velocity grade structure borne noise of gear system are studied by the method of theoretical modal analysis and dynamic response analysis. The maximum values of vibration and structure borne noise are occurred at the mesh frequency of output grade gearing.

Arc-length technique for nonlinear finite element analysis

Nonlinear solution of reinforced concrete structures, particularly complete load-deflection response, requires tracing of the equilibrium path and proper treatment of the limit and bifurcation points. In this regard, ordinary solution techniques lead to instability near the limit points and also have problems in case of snap-through and snap-back. Thus they fail to predict the complete load-displacement response. The arc-length method serves the purpose well in principle, received wide acceptance in finite element analysis, and has been used extensively. However modifications to the basic idea are vital to meet the particular needs of the analysis. This paper reviews some of the recent developments of the method in the last two decades, with particular emphasis on nonlinear finite element analysis of reinforced concrete structures.

THE RANDOM VARIATIONAL PRINCIPLE IN FINITE DEFORMATION OF ELASTICITY AND FINITE ELEMENT METHOD

In the present paper, we hare mtroduced the random materials. loads. geometricalshapes, force and displacement boundary condition directly. into the functionalvariational formula, by. use of a small parameter perturbation method, a unifiedrandom variational principle in finite defomation of elastieity and nonlinear randomfinite element method are esiablished, and used.for reliability, analysis of structures.Numerical examples showed that the methods have the advontages of simple andconvenient program implementation and are effective for the probabilistic problems inmechanics.

Strength reduction and step-loading finite element approaches in geotechnical engineering

The finite element limit analysis method has the advantages of both numerical and traditional limit equilibrium techniques and it is particularly useful to geotechnical engineering.This method has been developed in China,following well-accepted international procedures,to enhance understanding of stability issues in a number of geotechnical settings.Great advancements have been made in basic theory,the improvement of computational precision,and the broadening of practical applications.This paper presents the results of research on（1） the efficient design of embedded anti-slide piles,（2） the stability analysis of reservoir slopes with strength reduction theory,and（3） the determination of the ultimate bearing capacity of foundations using step-loading FEM（overloading）.These three applications are evidence of the design improvements and benefits made possible in geotechnical engineering by finite element modeling.

Studies on Resource Management of Sanjiang Plain Groundwater with the Analytical Finite Method Based on Square Grid

This article established groundwater flows differential equation mathematical model of San iiang Plain on the hydrology theory foundation, and used the analysis finite element method to liner change the differential equation into the large-scale system of linear equations, it took linear equations as a part of constraint conditions of the optimized model, carried on the groundwater flow status equation and the optimized model the coupling, and carries on the solution with the Lingo software. The results indicated that this local shallow layer groundwater resources were rich and have the big development potential. But recent years water resources disposition was unreasonable and ground water mining quantity was oversized, these caused the region water flux to assume the drop tendency.

Comparison of methods for vibration analysis of electrostatic precipitators

The paper presents two methods for the formulation of free vibration analysis of collecting electrodes of precipitators.The first,called the hybrid finite element method, combines the finit element method used for calculations of spring deformations with the rigid finite element method used to reflect mass and geometrical features,which is called the hybrid finite element method.As a result,a model with a diagonal mass matrix is obtained.Due to a specific geometry of the electrodes,which are long plates of complicated shapes,the second method proposed is the strip method which is a semi-analytical method.The strip method allows us to formulate the equations of motion with a considerably smaller number of generalized coordinates.Results of numerical calculations obtained by both methods are compared with those obtained using commercial software like ANSYS and ABAQUS.Good compatibility of results is achieved.

Dynamic analysis and experimental study of vibro-acoustic system with uncertainties at middle frequencies

To take into account the influence of uncetainties on the dynamic response of the vibro-acousitc structure, a hybrid modeling technique combining the finite element method（FE）and the statistic energy analysis（SEA） is proposed to analyze vibro-acoustics responses with uncertainties at middle frequencies. The mid-frequency dynamic response of the framework-plate structure with uncertainties is studied based on the hybrid FE-SEA method and the Monte Carlo（MC）simulation is performed so as to provide a benchmark comparison with the hybrid method. The energy response of the framework-plate structure matches well with the MC simulation results, which validates the effectiveness of the hybrid FE-SEA method considering both the complexity of the vibro-acoustic structure and the uncertainties in mid-frequency vibro-acousitc analysis. Based on the hybrid method, a vibroacoustic model of a construction machinery cab with random properties is established, and the excitations of the model are measured by experiments. The responses of the sound pressure level of the cab and the vibration power spectrum density of the front windscreen are calculated and compared with those of the experiment. At middle frequencies, the results have a good consistency with the tests and the prediction error is less than 3. 5dB.

Application of semi-analytical finite element method coupled with infinite element for analysis of asphalt pavement structural response

A specific computational program SAFEM was developed based on semi-analytical finite element （FE） method for analysis of asphalt pavement structural responses under static loads. The reliability and efficiency of this FE program was proved by comparison with the general commercial FE software ABAQUS. In order to further reduce the computational time without decrease of the accuracy, the infinite element was added to this program. The results of the finite-infinite element coupling analysis were compared with those of finite element analysis derived from the verified FE program, The study shows that finite-infinite element coupling analysis has higher reliability and efficiency.

3D TRANSIENT COUPLED THERMOELASTIC-PLASTIC CONTACT SEALING ANALYSIS OF REACTOR PRESSURE VESSEL

Sealing analysis of sealing system in reactor pressure vessels is relevant with multiple nonlinear coupled-field effects, so even large-scale commercial finite element software cannot finish the complicated analysis. A finite element method of 3D transient coupled thermo-elastic-plastic contact sealing analysis for reactor pressure vessels is presented, in which the surface nonlinearity, material nonlinearity, transient heat transfer nonlinearity and multiple coupled effect are taken into account and the sealing equation is coupling solved in iterative procedure. At the same time, a computational analysis program is developed, which is applied in the sealing analysis of experimental reactor pressure vessel, and the numerical results are in good coincidence with the experimental resuits. This program is also successful in analyzing the practical problem in engineering.

Numerical Analysis of Emergency River Restoration Scheme for Qingping Mega Debris Flow

The mega debris flow occurred on August 13 th 2010 in Qingping town,China(hereafter called '8.13' Debris Flow) have done great damage to the local habitants as well as to the re-construction projects in the quake-hit areas,and the channel-fill deposit problem caused by the debris flow was the most destructive.Moreover,it is of high possibility that an even severe deposit problem would reappear and result in worse consequences.In order to maximize risk reduction of this problem,relevant departments of the government established a series of emergency river restoration schemes,for which the numerical analysis is an important procedure to evaluate and determine the optimized one.This study presents a numerical analysis by applying a twodimensional debris flow model combined with a relevant water-sediment model to simulate the deposit during the progress of the debris flow,and to calculate and analyze the river flow field under both the present condition and different restoration conditions.The results show that the debris flow model,which takes the confluence of the Wenjia Gully to the main river into account,could simulate the deposit process quite well.In the reproduced debris flow from the simulation of the '8.13' Debris Flow,the original river flow path has switched to a relatively lower place just along the right bank with a high speed of near 7m.s-1 after being blocked by the deposit,which is highly hazardous.To prevent this hazard,a recommended scheme is derived through inter-comparison of different restoration conditions.It shows that the recommended scheme is able to reduce the water level and as well to regulate the flow path.Based on the given conditions of the mainstream and the tributary confluence for the simulated '8.13' Debris Flow,when encountering a debris flow with deposit volume less than 0.5 million m3,the river channel can endure a 20-year return flood;however,when the deposit volume increases to 2 million m3,the flood capacity of the river will be greatly impacted and the scheme becomes invalid.The recommended scheme supported by the present study has been applied to the emergency river restoration after this mega-debris flow.

PHYSICAL VALUE MAPPING ALGORITHM OF MESH IN FINE CAE ANALYSIS OF AUTOMOBILE BODY STRUCTURE

A physical value mapping （PVM） algorithm based on finite element mesh from the stamped part in stamping process to the product is presented, In order to improve the efficiency of the PVM algorithm, a search way from the mesh of the product to the mesh of the stamped part will be adopted. At the same time, the search process is divided into two steps： entire search （ES） and local search （LS）, which improve the searching efficiency. The searching area is enlarged to avoid missing projection elements in ES process. An arc-length method is introduced in LS process. The validity is confirmed by the results of the complex industry-forming product.

MODAL ANALYSIS OF A CHASSIS FRAME OF A HEAVY LECTRA HAUL

The chassis frame of a heavy lectra haul is analysed by both modal experiment method and finite element method (FEM ) . The first ten order modal parameters of the chassis frame have been obtained satisfactorily. These parameters have important reference value in designing the chassis frame properly and provide a necessary basis for the fault diagnostics of the truck.

OPTIMALITY OF LOCAL MULTILEVEL METHODS FOR ADAPTIVE NONCONFORMING P1 FINITE ELEMENT METHODS

In this paper, a local multilevel product algorithm and its additive version are con- sidered for linear systems arising from adaptive nonconforming P1 finite element approx- imations of second order elliptic boundary value problems. The abstract Schwarz theory is applied to analyze the multilevel methods with Jaeobi or Gauss-Seidel smoothers per- formed on local nodes on coarse meshes and global nodes on the finest mesh. It is shown that the local multilevel methods are optimal, i.e., the convergence rate of the multilevel methods is independent of the mesh sizes and mesh levels. Numerical experiments are given to confirm the theoretical results.