Beam Elements with Trapezoidal Cross Section Deformation Modes Based on the Absolute Nodal Coordinate Formulation

Author(s):  
Marko K. Matikainen ◽  
Oleg Dmitrochenko ◽  
Aki Mikkola ◽  
Theodore E. Simos ◽  
George Psihoyios ◽  
...  
2012 ◽  
Vol 59 (3) ◽  
pp. 283-296 ◽  
Author(s):  
Grzegorz Orzechowski

Abstract The beam elements, which are widely used in the absolute nodal coordinate formulation (ANCF) can be treated as isoparametric elements, and by analogy to the classical finite element analysis (FEA) are integrated with standard, spatial Gauss- Legendre quadratures. For this reason, the shape of the ANCF beam cross section is restricted only to the shape of rectangle. In this paper, a distinct method of integration of ANCF elements based on continuum mechanics approach is presented. This method allows for efficient analysis of the ANCF beam elements with circular cross section. The integration of element vectors and matrices is performed by separation of the quadrature into the part that integrate along beam axis and the part that integrate in the beam cross section. Then, an alternative quadrature is used to integrate in the circular shape of the cross section. Since the number of integration points in the alternative quadrature corresponds to the number of points in the standard Gaussian quadrature the change in the shape of the cross section does not affects negatively the element efficiency. The presented method was verified using selected numerical tests. They show good relatively agreement with the reference results. Apart from the analysis of the beams with the circular cross section, a possibility of further modifications in the methods of the element integration is also discussed. Due to the fact that locking influence on the convergence of the element is also observed, the methods of locking elimination in the proposed elements are also considered in the paper.


Author(s):  
Olivier A. Bauchau ◽  
Shilei Han ◽  
Aki Mikkola ◽  
Marko K. Matikainen ◽  
Johannes Gerstmayr

In this paper, the accuracy of the geometrically exact beam formulation and absolute nodal coordinate formulation are studied by comparing their predictions against experimental data referred to as the “Princeton beam experiment.” The experiment deals with a cantilevered beam experiencing coupled flap, lag, and twist deformations. In the absolute nodal coordinate formulation, two different beam elements are used. The first is based on a shear deformable approach in which the element kinematics are described using two nodes. The second is based on a recently proposed approach in which three nodes are used. The numerical results for the geometrically exact beam formulation and the recently proposed three-node absolute nodal coordinate formulation agree well with the experimental data. The two-node beam element predictions are similarly to linear theory. This study suggests that the latest developments of the absolute nodal coordinate formulation must be used to ensure accuracy under complicated loading conditions involving by twist deformation.


Author(s):  
Bassam A. Hussein ◽  
Hiroyuki Sugiyama ◽  
Ahmed A. Shabana

The finite element absolute nodal coordinate formulation (ANCF) leads to beam and plate models that relax the assumption of the classical Euler-bernoulli and Timoshenko beam and Mindlin plate theories. In these more general models, the cross section is allowed to deform and it is no longer treated as a rigid surface. The coupling between the bending and cross section deformations leads to the new ANCF-coupled deformation modes that are examined in this study. While these coupled deformation can be source of numerical and convergence problems when thin and stiff beam models are considered, the inclusion of the effect of these modes in the dynamic model is necessary in the case of very flexible structures. In order to examine the effect of these coupled deformation modes in this investigation, three different large deformation dynamic beam models are discussed. Two of these models, which differ in the way the beam elastic forces are calculated in the absolute nodal coordinate formulation, allow for systematically eliminating the coupled deformation modes, while the third allows for including these modes. The first of these models is based on a general continuum mechanics approach that leads to a model that includes the ANCF-coupled deformation modes; while the second and third methods that can be used to eliminate the coupled deformation modes are based on the elastic line approach and the Hellinger-Reissner principle. It is shown in this study that the inclusion of the ANCF-coupled deformation modes introduces geometric stiffening effects that can not be captured using other finite element models.


Author(s):  
Johannes Gerstmayr ◽  
Peter Gruber ◽  
Alexander Humer

The aim of the present paper is to evaluate six particular beam finite elements based on the absolute nodal coordinate formulation (ANCF). Specifically, accuracy, computational efficiency and numerical stability are compared for those beam finite elements. The finite elements under consideration are planar as well as spatial beams, which are formulated both for the Bernoulli-Euler case as well as for shear and cross-section deformation. While all of the investigated elements have been exposed to specific numerical tests already before, a comparative test has not been performed in the past. The numerical examples cover large deformation static and dynamic problems, which represent typical applications of such beam elements. Finally, the dynamic test problems show that the thin spatial beam formulation, which includes a rotational parameter, leads to well-known numerical instabilities.


Author(s):  
Haidong Yu ◽  
Chunzhang Zhao ◽  
Bin Zheng ◽  
Hao Wang

The beam elements based on the absolute nodal coordinate formulation are widely used in large deformation and large rotation problems. Some of them lead to shear and Poisson locking problems when the continuum mechanics method is employed to deduce the generalized elastic force of the element. To circumvent these locking problems, a new higher-order beam element is proposed that may capture the warping and non-uniform stretching distribution of the cross-section by introducing the trapezoidal cross-section deformation mode and increasing the order of interpolation polynomials in transverse direction. The curvature vectors are chosen as the nodal coordinates of the new element that improve the continuity condition at the element interface. Static and dynamic analyses are conducted to investigate the performance of the new element. Poisson locking phenomena may be eliminated effectively for the new element even when Poisson’s ratio is greater than zero. Meanwhile, the distortion deformation of the cross-section may be described directly. The new element has a better convergence performance compared with the spatial absolute nodal coordinate formulation beam element for that shear locking issue is eliminated. The results also show that the new element fulfills energy conservation and may be applied to the dynamics of both straight and initial curved structures with large deformation.


Author(s):  
Jimmy D. Nielsen ◽  
Søren B. Madsen ◽  
Per Hyldahl ◽  
Ole Balling

The Absolute Nodal Coordinate Formulation (ANCF) has shown promising results in dynamic analysis of structures that undergo large deformation. The method relaxes the assumption of infinitesimal rotations. Being based in a fixed inertial reference frame leads to a constant mass matrix and zero centrifugal and Coriolis forces [12]. This makes the method attractive for multibody dynamics implementation. The focus in this paper is the application of ANCF beam elements and their performance on large deformation dynamic analysis. Large dynamic deformation is characteristic for the installation process of offshore submerged oil pipes using oceangoing vessels. In this investigation such an oil pipe is modeled using ANCF beam elements to simulate the dynamic behavior of the pipe during the installation process. Multiple physical effects such as gravity, buoyancy, seabed contact, and fluid damping, are included to mimic the external forces acting on the pipe during installation. The scope of this investigation is to demonstrate the ability using the ANCF to analyze the dynamic behavior of an offshore oil pipe during installation.


2004 ◽  
Vol 127 (4) ◽  
pp. 621-630 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kimmo S. Kerkkänen ◽  
Jussi T. Sopanen ◽  
Aki M. Mikkola

In this paper, a new two-dimensional shear deformable beam element based on the absolute nodal coordinate formulation is proposed. The nonlinear elastic forces of the beam element are obtained using a continuum mechanics approach, without employing a local element coordinate system. In this study, linear polynomials are used to interpolate both the transverse and longitudinal components of the displacement. This is different from other absolute nodal-coordinate-based beam elements where cubic polynomials are used in the longitudinal direction. The use of linear interpolation polynomials leads to the phenomenon known as shear locking. This defect is avoided through the adoption of selective integration within the numerical integration method. The proposed element is verified using several numerical examples. The results of the proposed element are compared to analytical solutions and the results for an existing shear deformable beam element. It is shown that by using the proposed element, accurate linear and nonlinear static deformations, as well as realistic dynamic behavior including the capturing of the centrifugal stiffening effect, can be achieved with a smaller computational effort than by using existing shear deformable two-dimensional beam elements.


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