• Proceedings of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute Conference
• /
• 2000.10a
• /
• pp.369-376
• /
• 2000

For the general loading condition and boundary condition, it is very difficult to obtain closed-form solutions for buckling loads and natural frequencies of thin-walled structures because its behaviour is very complex due to the coupling effect of bending and torsional behaviour. Consequently most of previous finite element formulations introduced approximate displacement fields using shape functions as Hermitian polynomials, isoparametric interpoation function, and so on. The purpose of this study is to calculate the exact displacement field of a thin-walled straight beam element with the non-symmetric cross section and present a consistent derivation of the exact dynamic stiffness matrix. An exact dynamic element stiffness matrix is established from Vlasov's coupled differential equations for a uniform beam element of non-symmetric thin-walled cross section. This numerical technique is accomplished via a generalized linear eigenvalue problem by introducing 14 displacement parameters and a system of linear algebraic equations with complex matrices. The natural frequencies are evaluated for the non-symmetric thin-walled straight beam structure, and the results are compared with available solutions in order to verify validity and accuracy of the proposed procedures.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• v.5 no.6
• /
• pp.785-801
• /
• 1997

Reinforced Concrete beams with tension and compression softening material constitutive laws are studied. Energy-based and non-local regularisation techniques are presented and applied to a R.C. element. The element characteristics (sectional tangent stiffness matrix, element tangent stiffness matrix restoring forces) are directly derived from their symbolic expressions through numerical integration. In this way the same spatial grid allows us to obtain a non-local strain estimate and also to sample the contributions to the element stiffness matrix. Three examples show the spurious behaviors due to the strain localization and the stabilization effects given by the regularisation techniques, both in the case of tension and compression softening. The possibility to overestimate the ultimate load level when the non-local strain measure is applied to a non softening material is shown.

• Proceedings of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute Conference
• /
• 2001.10a
• /
• pp.327-334
• /
• 2001

This paper presents a non-linear analysis procedure for plane frame structures by finite element formulation with assumptions of Timoshenko beam theory. Finite element displacement method based on Lagrangian formulation is used and two-noded and isoparametric line element is adopted to represent finite element model. The layered approach is used for the elasto-plastic analysis of the plane frame structures with rectangular and I cross sections. A load incremental method combined with the tangent stiffness and the initial stiffness methods for each load increment is used for the solution of non-linear equations. Numerical examples are presented to investigate the behavior and the accuracy of the elasto-plastic non-linear application and the results of this study are compared with other solutions using the concept of plastic hinge.

• Computers and Concrete
• /
• v.5 no.3
• /
• pp.217-241
• /
• 2008

In this paper, a total strain-based hysteretic material model based on MCFT is proposed for non-linear finite element analysis of reinforced concrete structures. Although many concrete models have been proposed for simulating behavior of structures under cyclic loading conditions, accurate simulations remain challenging due to uncertainties in materials, pitfalls of crude assumptions of existing models, and limited understanding of failure mechanisms. The proposed model is equipped with a fully generalized hysteresis rule and is formulated for 2D plane stress non-linear finite element analysis. The proposed model has been formulated in a tangent stiffness-based finite element scheme so that it can be used for most general finite element analysis packages. Moreover, it eliminates the need to check that tensile stresses can be transmitted across a crack. The tension stiffening model is a function of the bar orientation and any orientation can be accommodated. The proposed model has been verified with a series of experimental results of 2D RC planar panels. This study also demonstrates how parameters of the proposed model associated with cyclic damage modeling influences the pinched cyclic shear behavior.

• Proceedings of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute Conference
• /
• 1995.04a
• /
• pp.9-16
• /
• 1995

A new three-dimensional transition solid element with drilling degrees of freedom is presented. The proposed transition element is established by adding variable nodes to a basic 8-node element for an effective connection between the refined region and the coarse. The derivation of the element in this paper is based on the variational principles in which the drilling rotations are introduced as independent variables. This element was also improved through the addition of modified non-conforming modes. Numerical examples show that performance of the element and the applicability to 3D adaptations are satisfactory.

• Computational Structural Engineering
• /
• v.11 no.1
• /
• pp.179-190
• /
• 1998

A geometrically nonlinear finite element formulation of spatial cable networks is presented using two cable elements. Firstly, derivation procedures of tangent stiffness and mass matrices for the space truss element and the elastic catenary cable element are summarized. The load incremental method based on Newton-Raphson iteration method and the dynamic relaxation method are presented in order to determine the initial static state of cable nets subjected to self-weights and support motions. Furthermore, static non-linear analysis of cable structures under additional live loads are performed based on the initial configuration. Challenging example problems are presented and discussed in order to demonstrate the feasibility of the present finite element method and investigate static nonlinear behaviors of cable nets.

• Steel and Composite Structures
• /
• v.7 no.4
• /
• pp.321-337
• /
• 2007

The investigation on the behaviour of cold-formed stainless steel non-slender circular hollow section columns is presented in this paper. The normal strength austenitic stainless steel type 304 and the high strength duplex materials (austenitic-ferritic approximately equivalent to EN 1.4462 and UNS S31803) were considered in this study. The finite element method has been used to carry out the investigation. The columns were compressed between fixed ends at different column lengths. The geometric and material nonlinearities have been included in the finite element analysis. The column strengths and failure modes were predicted. An extensive parametric study was carried out to study the effects of normal and high strength materials on cold-formed stainless steel non-slender circular hollow section columns. The column strengths predicted from the finite element analysis were compared with the design strengths calculated using the American Specification, Australian/New Zealand Standard and European Code for cold-formed stainless steel structures. The numerical results showed that the design rules specified in the American, Australian/New Zealand and European specifications are generally unconservative for the cold-formed stainless steel non-slender circular hollow section columns of normal and high strength materials, except for the short columns and some of the high strength stainless steel columns. Therefore, different values of the imperfection factor and limiting slenderness in the European Code design rules were proposed for cold-formed stainless steel non-slender circular hollow section columns.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• v.18 no.2
• /
• pp.211-229
• /
• 2004

The main purpose of this paper is the numerical analysis of the non-linear seismic response of a RC building mock-up. The mock-up is subjected to different synthetic horizontal seismic excitations. The numerical approach is based on a 3D-model involving multilayered shell elements. These elements are composed of several single-layer membranes with various eccentricities. Bending effects are included through these eccentricities. Basic equations are first written for a single membrane element with its own eccentricity and then generalised to the multilayered shell element by superposition. The multilayered shell is considered as a classical shell element : all information about non-linear constitutive relations are investigated at the local scale of each layer, whereas balance and kinematics are checked afterwards at global scale. The non-linear dynamic response of the building is computed with Newmark algorithm. The numerical dynamic results (blind simulations) are considered in the linear and non linear cases and compared with experimental results from shaking table tests. Multilayered shell elements are found to be a promising tool for predictive computations of RC structures behaviour under 3D seismic loadings. This study was part of the CAMUS International Benchmark.

• Journal of the Society of Naval Architects of Korea
• /
• v.43 no.3 s.147
• /
• pp.340-350
• /
• 2006

This paper is concerned with a practical guide for the ultimate longitudinal strength assessments of ships' hull structure. Rigorous non-linear structural analysis for three tanker models has been carried out to examine the ultimate strength behavior. Formula of estimating the ultimate longitudinal strength has been proposed which is modified with the results of non-linear finite element analysis of hull girders. Computational reliability and accuracy of the large-scale non-linear finite element analysis and the proposed simplified formula are verified through comparing their results with that of 1/3 scale frigate model test and DNVs program. Additionally, the ultimate longitudinal strength for ten tanker models is compared with those by the method specified in the 2nd Draft of common structural rule for tankers, which is being developed by IACS.

• Proceedings of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute Conference
• /
• 2006.04a
• /
• pp.985-991
• /
• 2006

For a shear-deformable beam-column element subjected to non-conservative forces. equations of motion and a finite element formulation are presented applying extended Hamilton's principle. The influence of non-conservative force's direction parameter. internal and external damping forces, and shear deformation and rotary inertia effects on divergence and flutter loads of Beck's columns are intensively investigated based on element stiffness. damping and mass matrixes derived for the non-conservative system.