The linearized three-dimensional beam theory of naturally curved and twisted beams: the strain vectors formulation

This paper presents the equations of the linearized geometrically exact three-dimensional beam theory of naturally curved and twisted beams. A new finite-element formulation for the linearized theory is proposed in which the strain vectors are the only unknown functions. The linear form of the consistency condition that the equilibrium and the constitutive internal force and moment vectors are equal, is enforced to be satisfied at chosen points. An arbitrary curved and twisted axis of the beam is taken into account which demands proper consideration of the non-linearity of spatial rotations. The accuracy and the efficiency of the derived numerical algorithm are demonstrated by comparing present numerical results with various analytical and numerical results. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

The linearized three-dimensional beam theory of naturally curved and twisted beams

This paper presents the equations of the linearized geometrically exact three-dimensional beam theory of naturally curved and twisted beams. A new finite-element formulation for the linearized theory is proposed in which the strain vectors are the only unknown functions. The linear form of the consistency condition that the equilibrium and the constitutive internal force and moment vectors are equal, is enforced to be satisfied at chosen points. An arbitrary curved and twisted axis of the beam is taken into account which demands proper consideration of the non-linearity of spatial rotations. The accuracy and the efficiency of the derived numerical algorithm are demonstrated by comparing present numerical results with various analytical and numerical results. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Kinematically exact curved and twisted strain-based beam

The paper presents a formulation of the geometrically exact three-dimensional beam theory where the shape functions of three-dimensional rotations are obtained from strains by the analytical solution of kinematic equations. In general it is very demanding to obtain rotations from known rotational strains. In the paper we limit our studies to the constant strain field along the element. The relation between the total three-dimensional rotations and the rotational strains is complicated even when a constant strain field is assumed. The analytical solution for the rotation matrix is for constant rotational strains expressed by the matrix exponential. Despite the analytical relationship between rotations and rotational strains, the governing equations of the beam are in general too demanding to be solved analytically. A finite-element strain-based formulation is presented in which numerical integration in governing equations and their variations is completely omitted and replaced by analytical integrals. Some interesting connections between quantities and non-linear expressions of the beam are revealed. These relations can also serve as useful guidelines in the development of new finite elements, especially in the choice of suitable shape functions

The quaternion-based three-dimensional beam theory

This paper presents the equations for the implementation of rotational quaternions in the geometrically exact three-dimensional beam theory. A new finite-element formulation is proposed in which the rotational quaternions are used for parametrization of rotations along the length of the beam. The formulation also satisfies the consistency condition that the equilibrium and the constitutive internal force and moment vectors are equal in its weak form. A strict use of the quaternion algebra in the derivation of governing equations and for the numerical solution is presented. Several numerical examples demonstrate the validity, performance and accuracy of the proposed approach. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Analysis of curved composite beam

Composite materials are steadily replacing traditional materials in many engineering applications due to several benefits such as high strength to weight ratio and the ability to tailor the material for specific purposes. Over the last several decades the analysis of straight beams has received considerable attention while there is very little focus on curved composite beams.;In the present study, the formulation of the bending of a curved composite beam is based on the bending theory of thick shells. A variational formulation is employed to derive the governing equations. A consistent methodology is applied to reduce the two-dimensional nature of the composite constitutive equations (based on the classical laminate plate theory) to one dimension to reflect the nature of behaviour of a curved beam. In order to generate very accurate distributions of the stresses and strains in the curved beam, a higher-order finite element method (h-p version) is formulated. A unique curved-beam finite element is proposed.;A MATLAB code is written to carry out the numerical implementation of the composite curved beam problem. Results in the form of tangential stress distributions across the cross section and force and displacement distributions along the curved length of the beam are presented. The geometry of the composite curved beams considered include circular arcs. The study encompasses different types of loads and symmetric and unsymmetric layups

Constitutive and Geometric Nonlinear Models for the Seismic Analysis of RC Structures with Energy Dissipators

Nowadays, the use of energy dissipating devices to improve the seismic response of RC structures constitutes a mature branch of the innovative procedures in earthquake engineering. However, even though the benefits derived from this technique are well known and widely accepted, the numerical methods for the simulation of the nonlinear seismic response of RC structures with passive control devices is a field in which new developments are continuously preformed both in computational mechanics and earthquake engineering. In this work, a state of the art of the advanced models  for the numerical simulation of the nonlinear dynamic response of RC structures with passive energy dissipating devices subjected to seismic loading is made. The most commonly used passive energy dissipating devices are described, together with their dissipative mechanisms as well as with the numerical procedures used in modeling RC structures provided with such devices. The most important approaches for the formulation of beam models for RC structures are reviewed, with emphasis on the theory and numerics of formulations that consider both geometric and constitutive sources on nonlinearity. In the same manner, a more complete treatment is given to the constitutive nonlinearity in the context of fiber-like approaches including the corresponding cross sectional analysis. Special attention is paid to the use of damage indices able of estimating the remaining load carrying capacity of structures after a seismic action. Finally, nonlinear constitutive and geometric formulations for RC beam elements are examined, together with energy dissipating devices formulated as simpler beams with adequate constitutive laws. Numerical examples allow to illustrate the capacities of the presented formulations

Free vibration analysis of thin-walled rectangular box beams based on generalized coordinates

An eight degree-of-freedom dynamic theory is presented for the free vibration analysis of thin-walled rectangular box beams. With the newly proposed parameters to prescribe the cross-section deformations, governing differential equations of the thin-walled rectangular beam are deduced using the principle of minimum potential energy. For the finite element implementation, two different displacement fields are constructed with generalized coordinates to formulate the stiffness matrix and the mass matrix, respectively. Dynamic equations of motion are deduced with Hamilton’s principle, and approximated with C0 continuous interpolation functions. The validity of this study is confirmed both by published literature and by extensive finite element solutions from MSC/NASTRAN

The first ANDES elements: 9-DOF plate bending triangles

New elements are derived to validate and assess the assumed natural deviatoric strain (ANDES) formulation. This is a brand new variant of the assumed natural strain (ANS) formulation of finite elements, which has recently attracted attention as an effective method for constructing high-performance elements for linear and nonlinear analysis. The ANDES formulation is based on an extended parametrized variational principle developed in recent publications. The key concept is that only the deviatoric part of the strains is assumed over the element whereas the mean strain part is discarded in favor of a constant stress assumption. Unlike conventional ANS elements, ANDES elements satisfy the individual element test (a stringent form of the patch test) a priori while retaining the favorable distortion-insensitivity properties of ANS elements. The first application of this formulation is the development of several Kirchhoff plate bending triangular elements with the standard nine degrees of freedom. Linear curvature variations are sampled along the three sides with the corners as gage reading points. These sample values are interpolated over the triangle using three schemes. Two schemes merge back to conventional ANS elements, one being identical to the Discrete Kirchhoff Triangle (DKT), whereas the third one produces two new ANDES elements. Numerical experiments indicate that one of the ANDES element is relatively insensitive to distortion compared to previously derived high-performance plate-bending elements, while retaining accuracy for nondistorted elements