Adaptive finite element analysis of free vibration of elastic membranes via element energy projection technique

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Haohan Sun ◽  
Si Yuan

Purpose A general strategy is developed for adaptive finite element (FE) analysis of free vibration of elastic membranes based on the element energy projection (EEP) technique. Design/methodology/approach By linearizing the free vibration problem of elastic membranes into a series of linear equivalent problems, reliable a posteriori point-wise error estimator is constructed via EEP super-convergent technique. Hierarchical local mesh refinement is incorporated to better deal with tough problems. Findings Several classical examples were analyzed, confirming the effectiveness of the EEP-based error estimation and overall adaptive procedure equipped with a local mesh refinement scheme. The computational results show that the adaptively-generated meshes reasonably catch the difficulties inherent in the problems and the procedure yields both eigenvalues with required accuracy and mode functions satisfying user-preset error tolerance in maximum norm. Originality/value By reasonable linearization, the linear-problem-based EEP technique is successfully transferred to two-dimensional eigenproblems with local mesh refinement incorporated to effectively and flexibly deal with singularity problems. The corresponding adaptive strategy can produce both eigenvalues with required accuracy and mode functions satisfying user-preset error tolerance in maximum norm and thus can be expected to apply to other types of eigenproblems.

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (04) ◽  
pp. 1950008
Author(s):  
Si Yuan ◽  
Yiyi Dong ◽  
Qinyan Xing ◽  
Nan Fang

The reliable and efficient self-adaptive analysis is a modern goal of various numerical computations. Most adaptivity methods, however, adopt energy norm to measure errors, which may not be the most natural and convenient means, e.g., for problems with locally singular gradient of displacement. Based on the Element Energy Projection (EEP) super-convergent technique in the Finite Element Method of Lines (FEMOL) which is a general and powerful semi-discrete method, reliable error estimates of displacements in maximum norm can be obtained anywhere on the FEMOL mesh and hence adaptive FEMOL by maximum norm becomes feasible. However, to tackle singularity problems effectively and efficiently, an automatic and flexible local mesh refinement strategy is required to generate meshes of high quality for more efficient adaptive FEMOL analysis. Taking the two-dimensional Poisson equation as the model problem, the paper firstly introduces the FEMOL and EEP methods with interface sides resulting from local mesh refinement. Then a local mesh refinement strategy and corresponding adaptive algorithm are presented. The numerical results given show that the proposed adaptive FEMOL with local mesh refinement can produce displacement solutions satisfying the specified tolerances in maximum norm and the adaptively-generated meshes reasonably reflect the local difficulties inherent in the physical problems without much redundant accuracy.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yongliang Wang ◽  
Jianhui Wang

PurposeThis study presents a novel hp-version adaptive finite element method (FEM) to investigate the high-precision eigensolutions of the free vibration of moderately thick circular cylindrical shells, involving the issues of variable geometrical factors, such as the thickness, circumferential wave number, radius and length.Design/methodology/approachAn hp-version adaptive finite element (FE) algorithm is proposed for determining the eigensolutions of the free vibration of moderately thick circular cylindrical shells via error homogenisation and higher-order interpolation. This algorithm first develops the established h-version mesh refinement method for detecting the non-uniform distributed optimised meshes, where the error estimation and element subdivision approaches based on the superconvergent patch recovery displacement method are introduced to obtain high-precision solutions. The errors in the vibration mode solutions in the global space domain are homogenised and approximately the same. Subsequently, on the refined meshes, the algorithm uses higher-order shape functions for the interpolation of trial displacement functions to reduce the errors quickly, until the solution meets a pre-specified error tolerance condition. In this algorithm, the non-uniform mesh generation and higher-order interpolation of shape functions are suitable for addressing the problem of complex frequencies and modes caused by variable structural geometries.FindingsNumerical results are presented for moderately thick circular cylindrical shells with different geometrical factors (circumferential wave number, thickness-to-radius ratio, thickness-to-length ratio) to demonstrate the effectiveness, accuracy and reliability of the proposed method. The hp-version refinement uses fewer optimised meshes than h-version mesh refinement, and only one-step interpolation of the higher-order shape function yields the eigensolutions satisfying the accuracy requirement.Originality/valueThe proposed combination of methodologies provides a complete hp-version adaptive FEM for analysing the free vibration of moderately thick circular cylindrical shells. This algorithm can be extended to general eigenproblems and geometric forms of structures to solve for the frequency and mode quickly and efficiently.


2020 ◽  
Vol 37 (8) ◽  
pp. 2847-2869
Author(s):  
Kaifeng Jiang ◽  
Si Yuan ◽  
Qinyan Xing

Purpose This paper aims to propose a new adaptive strategy for two-dimensional (2D) nonlinear finite element (FE) analysis of the minimal surface problem (MSP) based on the element energy projection (EEP) technique. Design/methodology/approach By linearizing nonlinear problems into a series of linear problems via the Newton method, the EEP technique, which is an effective and reliable point-wise super-convergent displacement recovery strategy for linear FE analysis, can be directly incorporated into the solution procedure. Accordingly, a posteriori error estimate in maximum norm was established and an adaptive 2D nonlinear FE strategy of h-version mesh refinement was developed. Findings Three classical known surfaces, including a singularity problem, were analysed. Moreover, an example whose analytic solution is unavailable was considered and a comparison was made between present results and those computed by the MATLAB PDE toolbox. The results show that the adaptively-generated meshes reflect the difficulties inherent in the problems and the proposed adaptive analysis can produce FE solutions satisfying the user-preset error tolerance in maximum norm with a fair adaptive convergence rate. Originality/value The EEP technique for linear FE analysis was extended to the nonlinear procedure of MSP and can be expected to apply to other 2D nonlinear problems. The employment of the maximum norm makes point-wisely error control on the sought surfaces possible and makes the proposed method distinguished from other adaptive FE analyses.


2019 ◽  
Vol 36 (6) ◽  
pp. 2010-2033
Author(s):  
Yiyi Dong ◽  
Si Yuan ◽  
Qinyan Xing

Purpose This study aims to propose a general and efficient adaptive strategy with local mesh refinement for two-dimensional (2D) finite element (FE) analysis based on the element energy projection (EEP) technique. Design/methodology/approach In view of the inflexibility of the existing global dimension-by-dimension (D-by-D) recovery method via EEP technique, in which displacements are recovered through element strips, an improved element D-by-D recovery strategy was proposed, which enables the EEP recovery of super-convergent displacements to be implemented mostly on a single element. Accordingly, a posteriori error estimate in maximum norm was established and an EEP-based adaptive FE strategy of h-version with local mesh refinement was developed. Findings Representative numerical examples, including stress concentration and singularity problems, were analyzed; the results of which show that the adaptively generated meshes reasonably reflect the local difficulties inherent in the physical problems and the proposed adaptive analysis can produce FE displacement solutions satisfying the user-specified tolerances in maximum norm with an almost optimal adaptive convergence rate. Originality/value The proposed element D-by-D recovery method is a more efficient and flexible displacement recovery method, which is implemented mostly on a single element. The EEP-based adaptive FE analysis can produce displacement solutions satisfying the specified tolerances in maximum norm with an almost optimal convergence rate and thus can be expected to apply to other 2D problems.


2017 ◽  
Vol 34 (8) ◽  
pp. 2862-2876 ◽  
Author(s):  
Si Yuan ◽  
Kangsheng Ye ◽  
Yongliang Wang ◽  
David Kennedy ◽  
Frederic W. Williams

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present a numerically adaptive finite element (FE) method for accurate, efficient and reliable eigensolutions of regular second- and fourth-order Sturm–Liouville (SL) problems with variable coefficients. Design/methodology/approach After the conventional FE solution for an eigenpair (i.e. eigenvalue and eigenfunction) of a particular order has been obtained on a given mesh, a novel strategy is introduced, in which the FE solution of the eigenproblem is equivalently viewed as the FE solution of an associated linear problem. This strategy allows the element energy projection (EEP) technique for linear problems to calculate the super-convergent FE solutions for eigenfunctions anywhere on any element. These EEP super-convergent solutions are used to estimate the FE solution errors and to guide mesh refinements, until the accuracy matches user-preset error tolerance on both eigenvalues and eigenfunctions. Findings Numerical results for a number of representative and challenging SL problems are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness, efficiency, accuracy and reliability of the proposed method. Research limitations/implications The method is limited to regular SL problems, but it can also solve some singular SL problems in an indirect way. Originality/value Comprehensive utilization of the EEP technique yields a simple, efficient and reliable adaptive FE procedure that finds sufficiently fine meshes for preset error tolerances on eigenvalues and eigenfunctions to be achieved, even on problems which proved troublesome to competing methods. The method can readily be extended to vector SL problems.


2018 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 1203-1229 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yongliang Wang ◽  
Yang Ju ◽  
Zhuo Zhuang ◽  
Chenfeng Li

Purpose This study aims to develop an adaptive finite element method for structural eigenproblems of cracked Euler–Bernoulli beams via the superconvergent patch recovery displacement technique. This research comprises the numerical algorithm and experimental results for free vibration problems (forward eigenproblems) and damage detection problems (inverse eigenproblems). Design/methodology/approach The weakened properties analogy is used to describe cracks in this model. The adaptive strategy proposed in this paper provides accurate, efficient and reliable eigensolutions of frequency and mode (i.e. eigenpairs as eigenvalue and eigenfunction) for Euler–Bernoulli beams with multiple cracks. Based on the frequency measurement method for damage detection, using the difference between the actual and computed frequencies of cracked beams, the inverse eigenproblems are solved iteratively for identifying the residuals of locations and sizes of the cracks by the Newton–Raphson iteration technique. In the crack detection, the estimated residuals are added to obtain reliable results, which is an iteration process that will be expedited by more accurate frequency solutions based on the proposed method for free vibration problems. Findings Numerical results are presented for free vibration problems and damage detection problems of representative non-uniform and geometrically stepped Euler–Bernoulli beams with multiple cracks to demonstrate the effectiveness, efficiency, accuracy and reliability of the proposed method. Originality/value The proposed combination of methodologies described in the paper leads to a very powerful approach for free vibration and damage detection of beams with cracks, introducing the mesh refinement, that can be extended to deal with the damage detection of frame structures.


Author(s):  
L-Y Li ◽  
P Bettess ◽  
J W Bull ◽  
T Bond

This paper presents some new ideas for developing adaptive remeshing strategies. It is shown that correct mesh refinement formulations should be defined at an element level rather than a global level. To accomplish this, permissible element errors are required to be defined. This paper describes the methods to determine the permissible element errors. Two mesh refinement formulations are derived according to different accuracy definitions and are compared with the conventional mesh refinement formulation derived at the global level. Numerical examples are shown to explain the features of these mesh refinement formulations. Recommendations are made for use of these mesh refinement formulations.


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