Adaptive mesh refinements for thin shells whose middle surface is not exactly known

A strategy concerning mesh refinements for thin shells computation is presented. The geometry of the shell is given only by the reduced information consisting in nodes and normals on its middle surface corresponding to a coarse mesh. The new point is that the mesh refinements are defined from several criteria, including the transverse shear forces which do not appear in the mechanical energy of the applied shell formulation. Another important point is to be able to construct the unknown middle surface at each step of the refinement. For this, an interpolation method by edges, coupled with a triangle bisection algorithm, is applied. This strategy is illustrated on various geometries and mechanical problems

Some theoretical aspects in computational analysis of adhesive lap joints

This paper is devoted to the numerical analysis of bidimensional bonded lap joints. For this purpose, the stress singularities occurring at the intersections of the adherend-adhesive interfaces with the free edges are first investigated and a method for computing both the order and the intensity factor of these singularities is described briefly. After that, a simplified model, in which the adhesive domain is reduced to a line, is derived by using an asymptotic expansion method. Then, assuming that the assembly debonding is produced by a macro-crack propagation in the adhesive, the associated energy release rate is computed. Finally, a homogenization technique is used in order to take into account a preliminary adhesive damage consisting of periodic micro-cracks. Some numerical results are presented

Stress intensity factors computation for bending plates with extended finite element method

The modelization of bending plates with through-the-thickness cracks is investigated. We consider the Kirchhoff–Love plate model, which is valid for very thin plates. Reduced Hsieh–Clough–Tocher triangles and reduced Fraejis de Veubeke–Sanders quadrilaterals are used for the numerical discretization. We apply the eXtended Finite Element Method strategy: enrichment of the finite element space with the asymptotic bending singularities and with the discontinuity across the crack. The main point, addressed in this paper, is the numerical computation of stress intensity factors. For this, two strategies, direct estimate and J-integral, are described and tested. Some practical rules, dealing with the choice of some numerical parameters, are underlined

Adaptation de maillage avec approximation de la géométrie pour le calcul de coques minces

Une méthodologie relative au raffinement de maillage pour le calcul des coques minces est présentée. Nous supposons que les seules informations dont nous disposons sur la géométrie de la coque sont donnéespar un ensemble de sommets situés sur sa surface moyenne et de la normale unitaire en ces sommets. Une méthode d'interpolation par arêtes des sommets et des normales, couplée avec un algorithme de subdivision des triangles du maillage de la surface moyenne est mise en oeuvre. L'estimation d'erreur locale est basée sur la détection des défauuts de régularité des efforts de la coque. Quelques exemples numériques illustrent les bons résultats obtenus

A Modal-Based Partition of Unity Finite Element Method for Elastic Wave Propagation Problems in Layered Media

Financiado para publicación en acceso aberto: Universidade da Coruña/CISUG[Abstract] The time-harmonic propagation of elastic waves in layered media is simulated numerically by means of a modal-based Partition of Unity Finite Element Method (PUFEM). Instead of using the standard plane waves or the Bessel solutions of the Helmholtz equation to design the discretization basis, the proposed modal-based PUFEM explicitly uses the tensor-product expressions of the eigenmodes (the so-called Love and interior modes) of a spectral elastic transverse problem, which fulfil the coupling conditions among layers. This modal-based PUFEM approach does not introduce quadrature errors since the coefficients of the discrete matrices are computed in closed-form. A preliminary analysis of the high condition number suffered by the proposed method is also analyzed in terms of the mesh size and the number of eigenmodes involved in the discretization. The numerical methodology is validated through a number of test scenarios, where the reliability of the proposed PUFEM method is discussed by considering different modal basis and source terms. Finally, some indicators are introduced to select a convenient discrete PUFEM basis taking into account the observability of cracks located on a coupling boundary between two adjacent layers.This work has been supported by Xunta de Galicia project “Numerical simulation of high-frequency hydro-acoustic problems in coastal environments - SIMNUMAR” (EM2013/052), co-funded with European Regional Development Funds (ERDF). Moreover, the second and fifth authors have been supported by MICINN projects MTM2014-52876-R, MTM2017-82724-R, PID2019-108584RB-I00, and also by ED431C 2018/33 - M2NICA (Xunta de Galicia & ERDF) and ED431G 2019/01 - CITIC (Xunta de Galicia & ERDF). Additionally, the third author has been supported by Junta de Castilla y León under projects VA024P17 and VA105G18, co-financed by ERDF funds. This work has been funded for open access charge by Universidade da Coruña/CISUGXunta de Galicia; EM2013/052Xunta de Galicia; ED431C 2018/33Xunta de Galicia; ED431G 2019/01Junta de Castilla y León; VA024P17Junta de Castilla y León; VA105G1

Asymptotic behavior of Structures made of Plates

The aim of this work is to study the asymptotic behavior of a structure made of plates of thickness $2\delta$ when $\delta\to 0$. This study is carried on within the frame of linear elasticity by using the unfolding method. It is based on several decompositions of the structure displacements and on the passing to the limit in fixed domains. We begin with studying the displacements of a plate. We show that any displacement is the sum of an elementary displacement concerning the normal lines on the middle surface of the plate and a residual displacement linked to these normal lines deformations. An elementary displacement is linear with respect to the variable $x$3. It is written $U(^x)+R(^x)\land x3e3$ where U is a displacement of the mid-surface of the plate. We show a priori estimates and convergence results when $\delta \to 0$. We characterize the limits of the unfolded displacements of a plate as well as the limits of the unfolded of the strained tensor. Then we extend these results to the structures made of plates. We show that any displacement of a structure is the sum of an elementary displacement of each plate and of a residual displacement. The elementary displacements of the structure (e.d.p.s.) coincide with elementary rods displacements in the junctions. Any e.d.p.s. is given by two functions belonging to $H1(S;R3)$ where S is the skeleton of the structure (the plates mid-surfaces set). One of these functions : U is the skeleton displacement. We show that U is the sum of an extensional displacement and of an inextensional one. The first one characterizes the membrane displacements and the second one is a rigid displacement in the direction of the plates and it characterizes the plates flexion. Eventually we pass to the limit as $\delta \to 0$ in the linearized elasticity system, on the one hand we obtain a variational problem that is satisfied by the limit extensional displacement, and on the other hand, a variational problem satisfied by the limit of inextensional displacements

On computing upper and lower bounds on the outputs of linear elasticity problems approximated by the smoothed finite element method

Verification of the computation of local quantities of interest, e.g. the displacements at a point, the stresses in a local area and the stress intensity factors at crack tips, plays an important role in improving the structural design for safety. In this paper, the smoothed finite element method (SFEM) is used for finding upper and lower bounds on the local quantities of interest that are outputs of the displacement field for linear elasticity problems, based on bounds on strain energy in both the primal and dual problems. One important feature of SFEM is that it bounds the strain energy of the structure from above without needing the solutions of different subproblems that are based on elements or patches but only requires the direct finite element computation. Upper and lower bounds on two linear outputs and one quadratic output related with elasticity—the local reaction, the local displacement and the J-integral—are computed by the proposed method in two different examples. Some issues with SFEM that remain to be resolved are also discussed