• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.31-42
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• 2007

The unsymmetric finite element formulation has been proposed recently to improve predictions from distorted finite elements. Studies have also shown that this special formulation using parametric functions for the test functions and metric functions for the trial functions works surprisingly well because the former satisfy the continuity conditions while the latter ensure that the stress representation during finite element computation can retrieve in a best-fit manner, the actual variation of stress in the metric space. However, a question that remained was whether the unsymmetric formulation was variationally correct. Here we determine that it is not, using the simplest possible element to amplify the principles.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.767-770
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• 2008

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.7-22
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• 1997

A finite element analysis is performed for lateral buckling problems on the basis of a geometrically nonlinear formulation for a beam with small elastic strain but with possibly large rotations. The total Lagrangian formulation for a general large deformation, which involves finite rotations, is chosen and the exponential map is used to treat finite rotations from the Eulerian point of view. For lateral buckling, the point of vanishing determinant of the resulting unsymmetric tangent stiffness is traced to examine its relationship to bifurcation points. It is found that the points of vanishing determinant is not corresponding to bifurcation points for large deformations in general, which suggests that the present unsymmetric tangent stiffness is not an exact first derivative of internal forces with respect to displacement. This is illustrated through several numerical examples and followed by appropriate discussion.

• Proceedings of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute Conference
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• 1997.10a
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• pp.239-246
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• 1997

The general formulation of free vibration and stability analysis of unsymmetric thin-walled space frames and beam-columns is presented. The kinetic and total potential energy is derived by applying the extended virtual work principle, introducing displacement parameters defined at the arbitrarily chosen axis and including second order terms of finite semitangential rotations. In formulating the finite element procedure, cubic Hermitian polynomials are utilized as shape functions of the two node space frame element. Mass, elastic stiffness, and geometric stiffness matrices for the unsymmetric thin-walled section are evaluated. In order to illustrate the accuracy and practical usefulness of this formulation, finite element solutions for the free vibration and stability problems of thin-walled beam-columns and space frames are presented and compared with available solutions.

• Computational Structural Engineering
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.191-204
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• 1998

The general formulation for free vibration and stability analysis of unsymmetric thin-wared space frames is presented in case where the shear deformation effects are neglected. The kinetic and total potential energies are derived by applying the extended virtual work principle, introducing displacement parameters defined at the arbitrarily chosen axis and including warping deformation and second order terms of finite semitangential rotations. In formulating the finite element procedure, cubic Hermitian polynomials are utilized as shape functions of the two node space frame element. Mass, elastic stiffness, and geometric stiffness matrices for the unsymmetric thin-walled section are evaluated, and load-correction stiffness matrices for off-axis distributed loadings are considered. In order to illustrate the accuracy and practical usefulness of this formulation, finite element solutions for the free vibration and stability problems of thin-walled beam-columns and space frames are presented and compared with available solutions.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.289-300
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• 2008

The use of metric trial functions to represent the real stress field in what is called the unsymmetric finite element formulation is an effective way to improve predictions from distorted finite elements. This approach works surprisingly well because the use of parametric functions for the test functions satisfies the continuity conditions while the use of metric (Cartesian) shape functions for the trial functions attempts to ensure that the stress representation during finite element computation can retrieve in a best-fit manner, the actual variation of stress in the metric space. However, the issue of how to handle situations where there is locking along with mesh distortion has never been addressed. In this paper, we show that the use of a consistent definition of the constrained strain field in the metric space can ensure a lock-free solution even when there is mesh distortion. The three-noded Timoshenko beam element is used to illustrate the principles. Some significant conclusions are drawn regarding the optimal strategy for finite element modelling where distortion effects and field-consistency requirements have to be reconciled simultaneously.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.20 no.11
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• pp.3441-3453
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• 1996

A finite element anlaysis is performed for large deformations of a felxible beam. The total Lagrangian formulation for a general large deformation, which involves finite rotations, is chosen and the exponential map is used to treat finite rotations from the Eulerian point of view. The finite elements results are confirmed for several cases of deformations through comparison to a first order elasticity solution obtained by numerical integration, and the agreement between the two is found to be excellent. For lateral buckling, the point of vanishing determinant of the resulting unsymmetric tangent stiffness is traced to examine its relationship to bifurcation points. It is found that the points of vanishing determinant is not corresponding to bifurcation points for large deformation in general, which suggests that the present unsymmetric tangent stiffness is not an exact first derivative of internal forces with respect to displacement.

• Proceedings of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute Conference
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• 1998.04a
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• pp.465-472
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• 1998

In this study, analytic solution and finite element formulation for the free vibration analysis of thin-walled circular arch, based on linearized virtual work and Vlasov's assumption, including restrained warping effect and second order terms of finite semitangential rotations, is presented. The total potential energy is derived by applying the Hellinger-Reissner principle. In this formulation, all displacement parameters of deformation are defined at the centroid axis. For the finite element formulation, the two node cubic Hermitian polynomials are utilized as shape functions. In special case, potential energy functional of thin-walled curved beam with monosymmetric cross section is derived. From this methodology, analytic solution for the free vibration of monosymmetric circular arch with simply supported is derived. In order to illustrate the accuracy of this study, various parameter studies for free vibration of circular arches are presented and compared with numerical solution analyzed by the FEM using straight beam element.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.261-281
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• 2011

A new method of formulation of a class of elements that are immune to mesh distortion effects is proposed here. The simple three-noded bar element with an offset of the internal node from the element center is employed here to demonstrate the method and the principles on which it is founded upon. Using the function space approach, the modified formulation is shown here to be superior to the conventional isoparametric version of the element since it satisfies the completeness requirement as the metric formulation, and yet it is in agreement with the best-fit paradigm in both the metric and the parametric domains. Furthermore, the element error is limited to only those that are permissible by the classical projection theorem of strains and stresses. Unlike its conventional counterpart, the modified element is thus not prone to any errors from mesh distortion. The element formulation is symmetric and thus satisfies the requirement of the conservative nature of problems associated with all self-adjoint differential operators. The present paper indicates that a proper mapping set for distortion immune elements constitutes geometric and displacement interpolations through parametric and metric shape functions respectively, with the metric components in the displacement/strain replaced by the equivalent geometric interpolation in parametric co-ordinates.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.367-376
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• 2010

In this paper, an experimental investigation of the mechanical behavior and buckling failure of sharp-notched circular tubes subjected to cyclic bending is discussed. The unnotched and sharp-notched circular tubes of SUS 304 stainless steel were tested under symmetric curvature-controlled cyclic bending. It was found from moment-curvature curves that the loops show cyclic hardening and gradually steady after a few cycles for all tested tubes. The ovalization-curvature curves show an unsymmetric, ratcheting and increasing manner with the number of cycles. In addition, it was found that six almost parallel lines corresponding to unnotched and five different notch-depth (0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8 and 1.0 mm) tubes were noted from the experimental relationship between the cyclic controlled curvature and the number of cycles necessary to produce buckling on a log-log scale. An empirical formulation was proposed so that it could be used for simulating the aforementioned relationship. By comparing with the experimental finding, the simulation was in good agreement with the experimental data.