Geometrically nonlinear analysis of shells by various dynamic relaxation methods

Purpose Numerical experiences reveal that the performances of the dynamic relaxation (DR) method are related to the structural types. This paper is devoted to compare the DR schemes for geometric nonlinear analysis of shells. To achieve this task, 12 famous approaches are briefly introduced. The differences among these schemes are between the estimation of the time step, the mass and the damping matrices. In this study, several benchmark structures are analyzed by using these 12 techniques. Based on the number of iterations and the analysis duration, their performances are graded. Numerical findings reveal the high efficiency of the kinetic DR (kdDR) approach and Underwood’s strategy. Design/methodology/approach Up to now, the performances of various DR algorithms for geometric nonlinear analysis of thin shells have not been investigated. In this paper, 12 famous DR methods have been used for solving these structures. It should be noted that the difference between these approaches is in the estimation of the fictitious parameters. The aforementioned techniques are used to solve several numerical samples. Then, the performances of all schemes are graded based on the number of iterations and the analysis duration. Findings The final ranking of each strategy will be obtained after studying all numerical examples. It is worth emphasizing that the number of iterations and that of convergence points of the arc length algorithms are dependent on the value of the initial arc length. In other words, a slight change in the magnitude of the arc length may lead to the wrong responses. Contrary to this behavior, the analyzer’s role in the dynamic relaxation techniques is considerably less than the arc length method. In the DR strategies when the answer approaches the limit points, the iteration number increases automatically. As a result, this algorithm can be used to analyze the structures with complex equilibrium paths. Research limitations/implications Numerical experiences reveal that the DR method performances are related to the structural types. This paper is devoted to compare the DR schemes for geometric nonlinear analysis of shells. Practical implications Geometric nonlinear analysis of shells is a sophisticated procedure. Consequently, extensive research studies have been conducted to analyze the shells efficiently. The most important characteristic of these structures is their high resistance against pressure. This study demonstrates the performances of various DR methods in solving shell structures. Originality/value Up to now, the performances of various DR algorithms for geometric nonlinear analysis of thin shells are not investigated.