Mathematical Description and Finite Element Equation of 3D Coupled Thermo-elastic Contact Problem

Through defining slide yield function and floating potential function of thermo-contact surface, the complementary equation of thermo-contact boundary has been reached, the fundamental equations to solve 3D thermo-contact coupled problem have been listed. On this foundation, the finite element equation and definite solution condition of contact heat transfer have been given out. Based on virtual work principle and contact element technology, the finite element equation of 3D elastic contact system has been deduced under the effect of thermal stress. The pseudo load brought by contact gap have been introduced into this equation in order to reflect the contact state change. During iteration, once contact rigidity matrix is formed, it won’t change, which will make calculation reduce greatly.

The efficiency of direct integration methods in elastic contact-impact problems

A comparison of direct integration methods is madeand their efficiency is investigated for impact problems.New-mark,Wilson-θ,Central Difference and Houbolt Methodsare used as direct integration methods.Impact analysisincludes that of elastic and large deformation based uponupdated Lagrangian including buckling check.The resultsshow that the direct integration methods give differentresults in different contact-impact cases.

Multiscale Finite Element Method for Coupling Analysis of Heterogeneous Magneto-Electro-Elastic Structures in Thermal Environment

Magneto-electro-elastic (MEE) materials, a new type of composite intelligent materials, exhibit excellent multifield coupling effects. Due to the heterogeneity of the materials, it is challenging to use the traditional finite element method (FEM) for mechanical analysis. Additionally, the MEE materials are often in a complex service environment, especially under the influence of the thermal field with thermoelectric and thermomagnetic effects, which affect its mechanical properties. Therefore, this paper proposes the efficient multiscale computational method for the multifield coupling problem of heterogeneous MEE structures under the thermal environment. The method constructs a multi-physics field with numerical base functions (the displacement, electric potential, and magnetic potential multiscale base functions). It equates a single cell of heterogeneous MEE materials to a macroscopic unit and supplements the macroscopic model with a microscopic model. This allows the problem to be solved directly on a macroscopic scale. Finally, the numerical simulation results demonstrate that compared with the traditional FEM, the multiscale finite element method (MsFEM) can achieve the purpose of ensuring accuracy and reducing the degree of freedom, and significantly improving the calculation efficiency.

Winkler Support Model and Nonlinear Boundary Conditions Applied to 3D Elastic Contact Problem Using the Boundary Element Method

This work presents a numerical methodology for modeling the Winkler supports and nonlinear conditions by proposing new boundary conditions. For the boundary conditions of Winkler support model, the surface tractions and the displacements normal to the surface of the solid are unknown, but their relationship is known by means of the ballast coefficient, whereas for nonlinear boundary conditions, the displacements normal to the boundary of the solid are zero in the positive direction but are allowed in the negative direction. In those zones, detachments of nodes might appear, leading to a nonlinearity, because the number of nodes that remain fixed or of the detached ones (under tensile tractions) is unknown. The proposed methodology is applied to the 3D elastic receding contact problem using the boundary element method. The surface t r actions and the displacements of the common int erface bet ween the two solids in contac t under the influence of different supports are calculated as well as the boundary zone of the solid where the new boundary conditions are applied. The problem is solved by a double-iterative met hod, so in the final solut ion, t here are no t r act ions or pene trations between the two solids or at the boundary of the solid where the nonlinear boundary conditions are Simula ted. The effectiveness of the proposed method is verified by examples.

BOUNDARY ELEMENT METHOD FOR MOVING AND ROLLING CONTACT OF 2D ELASTIC BODIES WITH DEFECTS

A scheme of boundary element method for moving contact of two-dimensional elastic bodies using conforming discretization is presented. Both the displacement and the traction boundary conditions are satisfied on the contacting region in the sense of discretization. An algorithm to deal with the moving of the contact boundary on a larger possible contact region is presented. The algorithm is generalized to rolling contact problem as well. Some numerical examples of moving and rolling contact of 2D elastic bodies with or without friction, including the bodies with a hole-type defect, are given to show the effectiveness and the accuracy of the presented schemes.

Immersed Interface Finite Element Methods for Elasticity Interface Problems with Non-Homogeneous Jump Conditions

In this paper,a class of new immersed interface finite element methods (IIFEM) is developed to solve elasticity interface problems with homogeneous and non-homogeneous jump conditions in two dimensions.Simple non-body-fitted meshes are used.For homogeneous jump conditions,both non-conforming and conforming basis functions are constructed in such a way that they satisfy the natural jump conditions. For non-homogeneous jump conditions,a pair of functions that satisfy the same non-homogeneous jump conditions are constructed using a level-set representation of the interface.With such a pair of functions,the discontinuities across the interface in the solution and flux are removed;and an equivalent elasticity interface problem with homogeneous jump conditions is formulated.Numerical examples are presented to demonstrate that such methods have second order convergence.

Implementing the Node Based Smoothed Finite Element Method as User Element in Abaqus for Linear and Nonlinear Elasticity

In this paper,the node based smoothed-strain Abaqus user element(UEL)in the framework of finite element method is introduced.The basic idea behind of the node based smoothed finite element(NSFEM)is that finite element cells are divided into subcells and subcells construct the smoothing domain associated with each node of a finite element cell[Liu,Dai and Nguyen-Thoi(2007)].Therefore,the numerical integration is globally performed over smoothing domains.It is demonstrated that the proposed UEL retains all the advantages of the NSFEM,i.e.,upper bound solution,overly soft stiffness and free from locking in compressible and nearly-incompressible media.In this work,the constant strain triangular(CST)elements are used to construct node based smoothing domains,since any complex two dimensional domains can be discretized using CST elements.This additional challenge is successfully addressed in this paper.The efficacy and robustness of the proposed work is obtained by several benchmark problems in both linear and nonlinear elasticity.The developed UEL and the associated files can be downloaded from https://github.com/nsundar/NSFEM.

An explicit finite element－finite difference method for analyzing the effect of visco－elastic local topography on the earthquake motion

An explicit finite element-finite difference method for analyzing the effects of two-dimensional visco-elastic localtopography on earthquake ground motion is prOPosed in this paper. In the method, at first, the finite elementdiscrete model is formed by using the artificial boundary and finite element method, and the dynamic equationsof local nodes in the discrete model are obtained according to the theory of the special finite element method similar to the finite difference method, and then the explicit step-by-step integration formulas are presented by usingthe explicit difference method for solving the visco-elastic dynamic equation and Generalized Multi-transmittingBoundary. The method has the advantages of saving computing time and computer memory space, and it is suitable for any case of topography and has high computing accuracy and good computing stability.

Finite Element Analysis of Elastic-Plastic Contact Mechanic Considering the Effect of Contact Geometry and Material Properties

Each surface of roughness has different shape of asperity which is modeled with various shapes of analytical models. In this paper, the differences among various models of shape of asperity investigate using the Finite Element Method (FEM) and various analytical models. The contact stresses in rough surfaces are calculated analytically using various asperity shape models. Finite element analysis is also carried out assuming three types of material properties namely, the linear, the elastic-perfect plastic and the elastic-nonlinear hardening. The analytical results are compared with the results obtained by the finite element method. The results illustrate for using a deterministic approach which the numerical models are suitable. In hertz model, the result of force is very big in interface of causing deformation plastic, while Model Zhao has almost same result with FEM nonlinear property model. It is observed that the results obtained from Zhao’s model are generally in a better agreement with the results obtained from various finite element models especially in elastic-plastic and plastic zones, hence it may be concluded that Zhao’s model can be used for analyzing the rough surfaces in contact mechanics.

Study of adaptive finite element techniques for contact problem in elastic bodies

The adaptive element techniques of contact problem are studied by means of penalty method, and the error estimators are discussed. Based on error estimators, algorithm of the adaptive element techniques is developed, then the Gauss - Newton iterations are used which allow the nonlinear problem to be transformed into a sequence of linear sub- problems then easily solved. In addition, the algorithm can be applied into the simulation of de -bonding of fiber - reinforced composites.

Quasi-optimal complexity of adaptive finite element method for linear elasticity problems in two dimensions

This paper introduces an adaptive finite element method （AFEM） using the newest vertex bisection and marking exclusively according to the error estimator without special treatment of oscillation. By the combination of the global lower bound and the localized upper bound of the posteriori error estimator, perturbation of oscillation, and cardinality of the marked element set, it is proved that the AFEM is quasi-optimal for linear elasticity problems in two dimensions, and this conclusion is verified by the numerical examples.

Three-Dimensional Thermo-Elastic-Plastic Finite Element Method Modeling for Predicting Weld-Induced Residual Stresses and Distortions in Steel Stiffened-Plate Structures

The objective of the present paper is to develop nonlinear finite element method models for predicting the weld-induced initial deflection and residual stress of plating in steel stiffened-plate structures. For this purpose, three-dimensional thermo-elastic-plastic finite element method computations are performed with varying plate thickness and weld bead length (leg length) in welded plate panels, the latter being associated with weld heat input. The finite element models are verified by a comparison with experimental database which was obtained by the authors in separate studies with full scale measurements. It is concluded that the nonlinear finite element method models developed in the present paper are very accurate in terms of predicting the weld-induced initial imperfections of steel stiffened plate structures. Details of the numerical computations together with test database are documented.

RATIONAL FINITE ELEMENT METHOD FOR ELASTIC BENDING OF REISSNER PLATES

In this paper; some deformation patterns defined by differential equations of the elastic system are introduced into the revised functional for the incompatible elements. And therefore the rational FEM, which is perfect combination of the analytic methods and numeric methods, has been presented. This new approach satisfies not only the mechanical requirement of the elements but also the geometric requirement of the complex structures. What's more the quadrilateral element obtained accordingly for the elastic bending of thick plates demonstrates such advantages as high precision for computation and availability of accurate integration for stiffness matrices.

FINITE ELEMENT SOLUTION TO COUPLED THERMO－ELASTICCONTACT STRESS AND IMPACTRESPONSE OF MESHING GEARS

A mixed finite element solution of contact stresses in meshing gears is investigated with the consideration of coupled thermo-elastic deformation and impact behavior. A simulation procedure of finite element solution of meshing gears is developed. The versatility of the procedure for both numerical accuracy and computational efficiency is verified by numerical analysis of meshing gear teeth.

Surrounding rock deformation analysis of underground caverns with multi-body finite element method

Discontinuous deformation problems are common in rock engineering. Numerical analysis methods based on system models of the discrete body can better solve these problems. One of the most effective solutions is discontinuous deformation analysis （DDA） method, but the DDA method brings about rock embedding problems when it uses the strain assumption in elastic deformation and adopts virtual springs to simulate the contact problems. The multi-body finite element method （FEM） proposed in this paper can solve the problems of contact and deformation of blocks very well because it integrates the FEM and multi-body system dynamics theory. It is therefore a complete method for solving discontinuous deformation problems through balance equations of the contact surface and for simulating the displacement of whole blocks. In this study, this method was successfully used for deformation analysis of underground caverns in stratified rock. The simulation results indicate that the multi-body FEM can show contact forces and the stress states on contact surfaces better than DDA, and that the results calculated with the multi-body FEM are more consistent with engineering practice than those calculated with DDA method.

Finite element analysis of contact fatigue and bending fatigue of a theoretical assembling straight bevel gear pair

The aim of this work is to propose a 3D FE model of a theoretical assembling straight bevel gear pair to analyze the contact fatigue on the tooth surface and the bending fatigue in the tooth root. Based on the cumulative fatigue criterion and the stress-life equation, the key meshing states of the gear pair were investigated for the contact fatigue and the bending fatigue. Then, the reliability of the proposed model was proved by comparing the calculation result with the simulation result. Further study was performed to analyze the variation of the contact fatigue stress and the bending fatigue stress under different loads. Furthermore, the roles of the driving pinion and the driven gear pair were evaluated in the fatigue life of the straight bevel gear pair and the main fatigue failure mode was determined for the significant gear. The results show that the fatigue failure of the driving pinion is the main fatigue failure for the straight bevel gear pair and the bending fatigue failure is the main fatigue failure for the driving pinion.

Transient analysis of 1D inhomogeneous media by dynamic inhomogeneous finite element method

The dynamic inhomogeneous finite element method is studied for use in the transient analysis of one dimensional inhomogeneous media. The general formula of the inhomogeneous consistent mass matrix is established based on the shape function. In order to research the advantages of this method, it is compared with the general finite element method. A linear bar element is chosen for the discretization tests of material parameters with two fictitious distributions. And, a numerical example is solved to observe the differences in the results between these two methods. Some characteristics of the dynamic inhomogeneous finite element method that demonstrate its advantages are obtained through comparison with the general finite element method. It is found that the method can be used to solve elastic wave motion problems with a large element scale and a large number of iteration steps.

Existence and numerical approximation of a solution to frictional contact problem for electro-elastic materials

In this paper,a frictional contact problem between an electro-elastic body and an electrically conductive foundation is studied.The contact is modeled by normal compliance with finite penetration and a version of Coulomb’s law of dry friction in which the coefficient of friction depends on the slip.In addition,the effects of the electrical conductivity of the foundation are taken into account.This model leads to a coupled system of the quasi-variational inequality of the elliptic type for the displacement and the nonlinear variational equation for the electric potential.The existence of a weak solution is proved by using an abstract result for elliptic variational inequalities and a fixed point argument.Then,a finite element approximation of the problem is presented.Under some regularity conditions,an optimal order error estimate of the approximate solution is derived.Finally,a successive iteration technique is used to solve the problem numerically and a convergence result is established.

Application of scaled boundary finite element method in static and dynamic fracture problems

The scaled boundary finite element method （SBFEM） is a recently developed numerical method combining advantages of both finite element methods （FEM） and boundary element methods （BEM） and with its own special features as well. One of the most prominent advantages is its capability of calculating stress intensity factors （SIFs） directly from the stress solutions whose singularities at crack tips are analytically represented. This advantage is taken in this study to model static and dynamic fracture problems. For static problems, a remeshing algorithm as simple as used in the BEM is developed while retaining the generality and flexibility of the FEM. Fully-automatic modelling of the mixed-mode crack propagation is then realised by combining the remeshing algorithm with a propagation criterion. For dynamic fracture problems, a newly developed series-increasing solution to the SBFEM governing equations in the frequency domain is applied to calculate dynamic SIFs. Three plane problems are modelled. The numerical results show that the SBFEM can accurately predict static and dynamic SIFs, cracking paths and load-displacement curves, using only a fraction of degrees of freedom generally needed by the traditional finite element methods.

Geotechnical particle finite element method for modeling of soilstructure interaction under large deformation conditions

The possibilities of the particle finite element method(PFEM)for modeling geotechnical problems are increasingly evident.PFEM is a numerical approach to solve large displacement and large strain continuum problems that are beyond the capabilities of classical finite element method(FEM).In PFEM,the computational domain is reconfigured for optimal solution by frequent remeshing and boundary updating.PFEM inherits many concepts,such as a Lagrangian description of continuum,from classic geomechanical FEM.This familiarity with more popular numerical methods facilitates learning and application.This work focuses on G-PFEM,a code specifically developed for the use of PFEM in geotechnical problems.The article has two purposes.The first is to give the reader an overview of the capabilities and main features of the current version of the G-PFEM and the second is to illustrate some of the newer developments of the code.G-PFEM can solve coupled hydro-mechanical static and dynamic problems involving the interaction of solid and/or deformable bodies.Realistic constitutive models for geomaterials are available,including features,such as structure and destructuration,which result in brittle response.The solutions are robust,solidly underpinned by numerical technology including mixedfield formulations,robust and mesh-independent integration of elastoplastic constitutive models and a rigorous and flexible treatment of contact interactions.The novel features presented in this work include the contact domain technique,a natural way to capture contact interactions and impose contact constraints between different continuum bodies,as well as a new simplified formulation for dynamic impact problems.The code performance is showcased by the simulation of several soil-structure interaction problems selected to highlight the novel code features:a rigid footing insertion in soft rock,pipeline insertion and subsequent lateral displacement on over-consolidated clay,screw-pile pull-out and the dynamic impact of a free-falling spherical penetrometer into clay.