Volume 4, Issue 1

The structural symmetry and the appropriate definition of a reduced (symmetric) mechanical/ numerical model is discussed within a nonlocal elasticity context. In particular, reference is made to an integral model of Eringen-type. The paper highlights how the classical, i.e. local, concepts of structural symmetry have to be rephrased through the definition of an enlarged symmetric model of the analyzed structure. This enlarged model, endowed with apposite nonlocal boundary conditions enforced in an iterative fashion, is proved to be able to recover the nonlocal effects that the neglected portion of the structure exerts on the portion chosen for the analysis. It is shown how the mirrored symmetric solution exactly matches the complete one. Theoretical issues and computational strategies referred to a nonlocal version of the finite element method are discussed with reference to the analysis of a case-study.

This paper presents the efficient modeling and analysis of laminated composite plates using an eightnode quasi-conforming solid-shell element, named as QCSS8. The present element QCSS8 is not only lockingfree, but highly computational efficiency as it possesses the explicit element stiffness matrix. All the six components of stresses can be evaluated directly by QCSS8 in terms of the 3-D constitutive equations and the appropriately assumed element strain field. Several typical numerical examples of laminated plates are solved to validate QCSS8, and the resulting values are compared with analytical solutions and the numerical results of solid/solidshell elements of commercial codes computed by the present authors in which fine meshes were used. The numerical results show that QCSS8 can give accurate displacements and stresses of laminated composite plates even with coarse meshes. Furthermore, QCSS8 yields also accurate transverse normal strain which is very important for the evaluation of interlaminar stresses in laminated plates. Since each lamina of laminated composite plates can be modeled naturally by one or a few layers of solidshell elements and a large aspect ratio of element edge to thickness is allowed in solid-shell elements, the present solid-shell element QCSS8 is extremely appropriate for the modeling of laminated composite plates.

In this paper, free vibrations of non-uniform multi-scale nanocomposite beams reinforced by carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are studied. Mori-Tanaka (MT) technique is employed to estimate the effective mechanical properties of three-phase CNT/fiber/polymer composite (CNTFPC) beam. In order to obtain the natural frequencies of structure, the governing equation is solved by means of Generalized Differential Quadrature (GDQ) approach. The accuracy and efficiency of the applied methods are studied and compared with some experimental data reported in previous published works. The influences of volume fraction and agglomeration of nanotubes, volume fraction of long fibers, and different laminate lay-ups on the natural frequency response of structure are examined.

One of the major challenges and contemporary research in the field of structural engineering is strengthening of existing structural elements using readily available materials in the market. Several investigations were conducted on strengthening of various structural components using traditional and advanced materials. Many researchers tried to enhance the reinforced concrete (RC) beams strength using steel plate, Glass and Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymers (GFRP & CFRP). For the reason that high weight to the strength ratio and compatibility in strength between FRP composites and steel bars, steel plates and GFRP and CFRP composites are not used for strengthening works practically. Hence, in this present work the suitability of using wire mesh for the purpose of strengthening the RC flexural members is studied by conducting experimental works. New technique of strengthening system using wire mesh with a view to improve sectional properties and subsequently flexural strength of RC beams is adopted in this work. The results for experimental and theoretical analysis were compared and found that good correlation exists between them. The experimental results indicate that RC beams strengthened with steel wire mesh are easy technique for strengthening of existing flexural members.

Static and kinematic matrix operator equations are revisited for one-, two-, and three-dimensional deformable bodies. In particular, the elastic problem is formulated in the details in the case of arches, cylinders, circular plates, thin domes, and, through an induction process, shells of revolution. It is emphasized how the static and kinematic matrix operators are one the adjoint of the other, and then demonstrated through the definition of stiffness matrix and the application of virtual work principle. From the matrix operator formulation it clearly emerges the identity of the usual Finite Element Method definition of elastic stiffness matrix and the classical definition of Ritz-Galerkin matrix.

The purpose of this content is to investigate the free vibration of functionally graded parabolic and circular panels with general boundary conditions by using the Fourier-Ritz method. The first-order shear deformation theory is adopted to consider the effects of the transverse shear and rotary inertia of the panel structures. The functionally graded panel structures consist of ceramic and metal which are assumed to vary continuously through the thickness according to the power-law distribution, and two types of power-law distributions are considered for the ceramic volume fraction. The improved Fourier series method is applied to construct the new admissible function of the panels to surmount the weakness of the relevant discontinuities with the original displacement and its derivatives at the boundaries while using the traditional Fourier series method. The boundary spring technique is adopted to simulate the general boundary condition. The unknown coefficients appearing in the admissible function are determined by using the Ritz procedure based on the energy functional of the panels. The numerical results show the present method has good convergence, reliability and accuracy. Some new results for functionally graded parabolic and circular panels with different material distributions and boundary conditions are provided, which may serve as benchmark solutions.

This paper deals with the investigation of nonlinear free vibration behavior of elastically supported carbon nanotube reinforced composite (CNTRC) beam subjected to thermal loading with random system properties. Material properties of each constituent’s material, volume fraction exponent and foundation parameters are considered as uncorrelated Gaussian random input variables. The beam is supported by a Pasternak foundation with Winkler cubic nonlinearity. The higher order shear deformation theory (HSDT) with von-Karman non-linearity is used to formulate the governing equation using Hamilton principle. Convergence and validation study is carried out through the comparison with the available results in the literature for authenticity and accuracy of the present approach used in the analysis. First order perturbation technique (FOPT),Second order perturbation technique (SOPT) and Monte Carlo simulation (MCS) methods are employed to investigate the effect of geometric configuration, volume fraction exponent, foundation parameters, distribution of reinforcement and thermal loading on nonlinear vibration characteristics CNTRC beam.The present work signifies the accurate analysis of vibrational behaviour influences by different random variables. Results are presented in terms of mean, variance (COV) and probability density function (PDF) for various aforementioned parameters.

New models for micropolar plane curved rods have been developed. 2-D theory is developed from general 2-D equations of linear micropolar elasticity using a special curvilinear system of coordinates related to the middle line of the rod and special hypothesis based on assumptions that take into account the fact that the rod is thin.High order theory is based on the expansion of the equations of the theory of elasticity into Fourier series in terms of Legendre polynomials. First stress and strain tensors,vectors of displacements and rotation and body force shave been expanded into Fourier series in terms of Legendre polynomials with respect to a thickness coordinate.Thereby all equations of elasticity including Hooke’s law have been transformed to the corresponding equations for Fourier coefficients. Then in the same way as in the theory of elasticity, system of differential equations in term of displacements and boundary conditions for Fourier coefficients have been obtained. The Timoshenko’s and Euler-Bernoulli theories are based on the classical hypothesis and 2-D equations of linear micropolar elasticity in a special curvilinear system. The obtained equations can be used to calculate stress-strain and to model thin walled structures in macro, micro and nano scale when taking in to account micropolar couple stress and rotation effects.

New models for plane curved rods based on linear couple stress theory of elasticity have been developed.2-D theory is developed from general 2-D equations of linear couple stress elasticity using a special curvilinear system of coordinates related to the middle line of the rod as well as special hypothesis based on assumptions that take into account the fact that the rod is thin. High order theory is based on the expansion of the equations of the theory of elasticity into Fourier series in terms of Legendre polynomials. First, stress and strain tensors, vectors of displacements and rotation along with body forces have been expanded into Fourier series in terms of Legendre polynomials with respect to a thickness coordinate.Thereby, all equations of elasticity including Hooke’s law have been transformed to the corresponding equations for Fourier coefficients. Then, in the same way as in the theory of elasticity, a system of differential equations in terms of displacements and boundary conditions for Fourier coefficients have been obtained. Timoshenko’s and Euler-Bernoulli theories are based on the classical hypothesis and the 2-D equations of linear couple stress theory of elasticity in a special curvilinear system. The obtained equations can be used to calculate stress-strain and to model thin walled structures in macro, micro and nano scales when taking into account couple stress and rotation effects.

In this paper presents bending characteristic of multi-layered carbon nanotube reinforced functionally graded composite plates. The finite element implementation of bending analysis of laminated composite plate via well-established higher order shear deformation theory(HSDT). A seven degree of freedom and C 0 continuity finite element model using nine noded isoperimetric elements is developed for precise computation of ply-by-ply deflection and stresses of laminated Single Wall Carbon Nanotube Reinforced composite plate subjected to uniform transverse loading. The finite element implementation is carried out through a finite element code developed in MATLAB.The results obtained by present approach are compared with results available in the literatures. The effective material properties of the laminated SWCNTRC plate are used by Mori-Tanaka method.Numerical results have been obtained with different parameters, width-to-thickness ratio(a/h), stress distribution profile along thickness direction,different SWCNTRC-FG plate, boundary condition and various lamination schemes.

In this paper, free vibration analysis of annular sector plates has been presented via conical shell equations. By using the first-order shear deformation theory (FSDT) equation of motion of conical shell is obtained. The method of discrete singular convolution (DSC) and method differential quadrature (DQ) are used for solution of the vibration problem of annular plates for some special value of semi-vertex angle via conical shell equation. The obtained numerical results based on the two numerical approaches for annular sector plates compare well with the results available in the literature. The effects of some geometric parameters, grid numbers and types of the grid distribution have been discussed for curved plates.

A simple analytical model to estimate the longitudinal strength of ship hulls in composite materials under buckling, material failure and ultimate collapse is presented in this paper. Ship hulls are regarded as assemblies of stiffened panels which idealized as group of plate-stiffener combinations. Ultimate strain of the plate-stiffener combination is predicted under buckling or material failure with composite beam-column theory. The effects of initial imperfection of ship hull and eccentricity of load are included. Corresponding longitudinal strengths of ship hull are derived in a straightforward method. A longitudinally framed ship hull made of symmetrically stacked unidirectional plies under sagging is analyzed. The results indicate that present analytical results have a good agreement with FEM method. The initial deflection of ship hull and eccentricity of load can dramatically reduce the bending capacity of ship hull. The proposed formulations provide a simple but useful tool for the longitudinal strength estimation in practical design.

Fiber reinforced anisotropic material abounds in biological world. It has been demonstrated in previous theoretical and experimental works that growth of biological soft tubular tissue plays a significant role in morphogenesis and pathology. Here we investigate growth-induced buckling of anisotropic cylindrical tissue, focusing on the effects of type of growth(constraint/unconstraint, isotropic/anisotropic), fiber property(orientation, density and strength), geometry and any interaction between these factors. We studied one-layer and two-layer models and obtained a rich spectrum of results. For one-layer model, we demonstrate that circumferential fiber orientation has a consistent stabilizing effect under various scenarios of growth. Higher fiber density has a destabilizing effect by disabling high-mode buckling. For two-layer model, we found that critical buckling strain at inner boundary is an invariant under same isotropic growth rate ratio between inner/ outer layer(g 1 /g 0 ). Then we applied our model to wound healing and illustrate the effects of skin residual stress, fiber property, proliferation region width and wound size on the wound edge stability. We conclude that fiber-reinforcement is an important factor to consider when investigating growth induced instability of anisotropic soft tissue.

In this paper, a modified Fourier solution based on the first-order shear deformation theory is developed for the free vibration problem of moderately thick composite laminated annular sector plates with general boundary conditions, internal radial line and circumferential arc supports. In this solution approach, regardless of boundary conditions, the displacement and rotation components of the sector plate are written in the form of the trigonometric series expansion in which several auxiliary terms are added to ensure and accelerate the convergence of the series. Each of the unknown coefficients is taken as the generalized coordinate and determined using the Raleigh- Ritz method. The accuracy and reliability of the present solution are validated by the comparison with the results found in the literature, and numerous new results for composite laminated annular sector plates considering various kinds of boundary conditions are presented. Comprehensive studies on the effects of elastic restraint parameters, layout schemes and locations of line/arc supports are also made.New results are obtained for laminated annular sector plates subjected to elastic boundary restraints and arbitrary internal radial line and circumferential arc supports in both directions, and they may serve as benchmark solutions for future researches.

New models for plane curved rods based on linear nonlocal theory of elasticity have been developed. The 2-D theory is developed from general 2-D equations of linear nonlocal elasticity using a special curvilinear system of coordinates related to the middle line of the rod along with special hypothesis based on assumptions that take into account the fact that the rod is thin. High order theory is based on the expansion of the equations of the theory of elasticity into Fourier series in terms of Legendre polynomials. First, stress and strain tensors, vectors of displacements and body forces have been expanded into Fourier series in terms of Legendre polynomials with respect to a thickness coordinate. Thereby, all equations of elasticity including nonlocal constitutive relations have been transformed to the corresponding equations for Fourier coefficients. Then, in the same way as in the theory of local elasticity, a system of differential equations in terms of displacements for Fourier coefficients has been obtained. First and second order approximations have been considered in detail. Timoshenko’s and Euler-Bernoulli theories are based on the classical hypothesis and the 2-D equations of linear nonlocal theory of elasticity which are considered in a special curvilinear system of coordinates related to the middle line of the rod. The obtained equations can be used to calculate stress-strain and to model thin walled structures in micro- and nanoscales when taking into account size dependent and nonlocal effects.

This paper presents the free vibration response of piezo laminated composite geometrically nonlinear conical shell panel subjected to a thermo-electrical loading. The temperature field is assumed to be a uniform distribution over the shell surface and through the shell thickness and the electric field is assumed to be the transverse component E 2 only. The material properties are assumed to be independent of the temperature and the electric field. The basic formulation is based on higher order shear deformation plate theory (HSDT) with von-Karman nonlinearity. A C 0 nonlinear finite element method based on direct iterative approach is outlined and applied to solve nonlinear generalized eigenvalue problem. Parametric studies are carried out to examine the effect of amplitude ratios, stacking sequences, cone angles, piezoelectric layers, applied voltages, circumferential length to thickness ratios, change in temperatures and support boundary conditions on the nonlinear natural frequency of laminated conical shell panels. The present outlined approach has been validated with those available results in the literature.

The main goal of the present paper was to study the physical response of a double side skin (DSS) structure under impact load in a collision event between two ships. Collision energy and damage extent (size and location) during the collision process were observed together with damage patterns on side structure. The ships were modeled after a Ro-Ro passenger ship and cargo reefer which were involved in a ship collision on the Sunda Strait while the analyseswere performed using non-linear simulations FEMto produce virtual simulation data. Several caseswere proposed to be investigated in this work with involvement of parameters i.e. penetration location and ship materials which were embedded on the structure model. A series of material experiments and testing was conducted to obtain detailed material properties which were to be deployed in simulation. It was shown that, after penetration at the transition location, the striking ship was successfully deforming and forming tears to the inner skin. On the other hand, with identical structure and identical mass of construction, the use of high-strength low-alloy (HSLA) steel as the repair material offered considerably better capacity in absorbing the impact load than plain-carbon steel.

Based on the transfer matrix theory and precise integration method, the precise integration transfer matrix method (PITMM) is implemented to investigate the free vibration characteristics of isotropic coupled conicalcylindrical shells. The influence on the boundary conditions, the shell thickness and the semi-vertex conical angle on the vibration characteristics are discussed. Based on the Flügge thin shell theory and the transfer matrix method, the field transfer matrix of cylindrical and conical shells is obtained. Taking continuity conditions at the junction of the coupled conical-cylindrical shell into consideration, the field transfer matrix of the coupled shell is constructed. According to the boundary conditions at the ends of the coupled shell, the natural frequencies of the coupled shell are solved by the precise integration method. An approach for studying the free vibration characteristics of isotropic coupled conical-cylindrical shells is obtained. Comparison of the natural frequencies obtained using the present method with those from literature confirms the validity of the proposed approach. The effects of the boundary conditions, the shell thickness and the semivertex conical angle on vibration characteristics are presented.

This paper describes the behaviour of axially loaded long and eccentrically loaded short thin-walled steel channels, strengthened with transversely bonded carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) sheets. Seven long members, each 1400 mm long, and seven short members, each 750mmlong, were tested. The main parameters were the number of CFRP plies (one or two) and the clear spacing between the CFRP strips (50, 100 or 150 mm). The effect of CFRP sheet layer and clear spacing was studied. All the ultimate load capacity of the reinforced members was improved in different extent. A maximum strength gain of 9.13% was achieved for long members with two CFRP layers and 50 mm spacing of CFRP strips. The experimental results show that the global buckling happens to all the long specimens. For short members, the maximum strength gain of 12.1% was achieved with two CFRP layers and 50 mm spacing of CFRP strips. With the exception of the most heavily reinforced (2 plies at 50 and 100 mm), local buckling was observed prior to global buckling for short members, which was completely opposite of the control specimens. Meanwhile, when the clear spacing of CFRP strips is greater than theweb height of steel channel, the transversely bonded CFRP does not have a significant improvement in buckling load capacity of the short- and long-channel components. While the clear spacing is less than the web height, the more number of CFRP layer, the more enhancement of buckling load capacity.

The node-to-surface formulation is widely used in contact simulations with finite elements because it is relatively easy to implement using different types of element discretizations. This approach, however, has a number of well-known drawbacks, including locking due to over-constraint when this formulation is used as a twopass method. Most studies on the node-to-surface contact formulation, however, have been conducted using solid elements and little has been done to investigate the effectiveness of this approach for beam or shell elements. In this paper we show that locking can also be observed with the node-to-surface contact formulation when applied to plate and flat shell elements even with a singlepass implementation with distinct master/slave designations, which is the standard solution to locking with solid elements. In our study, we use the quadrilateral four node flat shell element for thin (Kirchhoff-Love) plate and thick (Reissner-Mindlin) plate theory, both in their standard forms and with improved formulations such as the linked interpolation [1] and the Discrete Kirchhoff [2] elements for thick and thin plates, respectively. The Lagrange multiplier method is used to enforce the node-to-surface constraints for all elements. The results show clear locking when compared to those obtained using a conforming mesh configuration.