• Journal of the Korean Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.57-65
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• 2011

In this paper, a good quality mesh generation for the finite element method is investigated for artificial hip joint simulations. In general, bad meshes with a large aspect ratio or mixed elements can give rise to excessively long computational running times and extremely high errors. Typically, hexahedral elements outperform tetrahedral elements during three-dimensional contact analysis using the finite element method. Therefore, it is essential to mesh biologic structures with hexahedral elements. Four meshing schemes for the finite element analysis of an artificial hip joint are presented and compared: (1) tetrahedral elements, (2) wedge and hexahedral elements, (3) open cubic box hexahedral elements, and (4) proposed hexahedral elements. The proposed meshing scheme is to partition a part before seeding so that we have a high quality three-dimensional mesh which consists of only hexahedral elements. The von Mises stress distributions were obtained and analyzed. We also performed mesh refinement convergence tests for all four cases.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.25 no.9
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• pp.1325-1333
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• 2001

Critical defects in pressure vessels and pipes are generally found in the form of a semi-elliptical surface crack, and the analysis of which is consequently an important problem in engineering fracture mechanics. Furthermore, in addition to the traditional single parameter K or J-integral, the second parameter like T-stress should be measured to quantify the constraint effect. In this work, the validity of the line-spring finite element is investigated by comparing line-spring J-T solutions to the reference 3D finite element J-T solutions. A full 3D-mesh generating program for semi-elliptical surface cracks is employed to provide such reference 3D solutions. Then some structural characteristics of the surface-cracked T and L-joints are studied by mixed mode line-spring finite element. Negative T-stresses observed in T and L-joints indicate the necessity of J-T two parameter approach for analyses of surface-cracked T and L-joints.

• Proceedings of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute Conference
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• 1995.10a
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• pp.153-160
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• 1995

Mixed finite element formulations for incompressible materials show pressure oscillations or pressure modes in four-node quadrilateral elements. The criterion for the stability in the pressure solution is the so-called Babufka-Brezzi stability condition, and the four-node elements based on mixed variational principles do not appear to satisfy this condition. In this study, a pressure continuity residual based on the pressure discontinuity at element edges is used to study the stabilization of pressure solutions in bilinear displacement-constant pressure four-node quadrilateral elements. It is shown that the pressure solutions, although stable, exhibit sensitivity to the stabilization parameters.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.28 no.6A
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• pp.789-798
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• 2008

The stiffness method provides a framework to calculate the structural deformations directly from solving the equilibrium state. However, to use the displacement shape functions leads to approximate estimation of stiffness matrix and resisting forces, and accordingly results in a low accuracy. The conventional flexibility method uses the relation between sectional forces and nodal forces in which the equilibrium is always satisfied over all sections along the element. However, the determination of the element resisting forces is not so straightforward. In this study, a new fiber finite element mixed method has been developed for nonlinear anaysis of steel-concrete composite structures in the context of a standard finite element analysis program. The proposed method applies the Newton method based on the load control and uses the incremental secant stiffness method which is computationally efficient and stable. Also, the method is employed to analyze the steel-concrete composite structures, and the analysis results are compared with those obtained by ABAQUS. The comparison shows that the proposed method consistently well predicts the nonlinear behavior of the composite structures, and gives good efficiency.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.61 no.3
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• pp.371-379
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• 2017

Modelling of a crack propagating through a finite element mesh under mixed mode conditions is of prime importance in fracture mechanics. In this paper, two crack growth criteria and the respective crack paths prediction in functionally graded materials (FGM) are compared. The maximum tangential stress criterion (${\sigma}_{\theta}-criterion$) and the minimum strain energy density criterion (S-criterion) are investigated using advanced finite element technique. Using Ansys Parametric Design Language (APDL), the variation continues in the material properties are incorporated into the model by specifying the material parameters at the centroid of each finite element. In this paper, the displacement extrapolation technique (DET) proposed for homogeneous materials is modified and investigated, to obtain the stress intensity factors (SIFs) at crack-tip in FGMs. Several examples are modeled to evaluate the accuracy and effectiveness of the combined procedure. The effect of the defects on the crack propagation in FGMs was highlighted.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.287-309
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• 2015

FormWorks-Plus is a generalized public domain user-friendly preprocessor developed to facilitate the process of creating finite element models for structural analysis programs. The lack of a graphical user interface in most academic analysis programs forces users to input the structural model information into the standard text files, which is a time-consuming and error-prone process. FormWorks-Plus enables engineers to conveniently set up the finite element model in a graphical environment, eliminating the problems associated with conventional input text files and improving the user's perception of the application. In this paper, a brief overview of the FormWorks-Plus structure is presented, followed by a detailed explanation of the main features of the program. In addition, demonstration is made of the application of FormWorks-Plus in combination with VecTor programs, advanced nonlinear analysis tools for reinforced concrete structures. Finally, aspects relating to the modelling and analysis of three case studies are discussed: a reinforced concrete beam-column joint, a steel-concrete composite shear wall, and a SFRC shear panel. The unique mixed-type frame-membrane modelling procedure implemented in FormWorks-Plus can address the limitations associated with most frame type analyses.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.283-299
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• 2010

This paper addresses the numerical simulation of fatigue crack growth in arbitrary 2D geometries under constant amplitude loading by the using a new finite element software. The purpose of this software is on the determination of 2D crack paths and surfaces as well as on the evaluation of components Lifetimes as a part of the damage tolerant assessment. Throughout the simulation of fatigue crack propagation an automatic adaptive mesh is carried out in the vicinity of the crack front nodes and in the elements which represent the higher stresses distribution. The fatigue crack direction and the corresponding stress-intensity factors are estimated at each small crack increment by employing the displacement extrapolation technique under facilitation of singular crack tip elements. The propagation is modeled by successive linear extensions, which are determined by the stress intensity factors under linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM) assumption. The stress intensity factors range history must be recorded along the small crack increments. Upon completion of the stress intensity factors range history recording, fatigue crack propagation life of the examined specimen is predicted. A consistent transfer algorithm and a crack relaxation method are proposed and implemented for this purpose. Verification of the predicted fatigue life is validated with relevant experimental data and numerical results obtained by other researchers. The comparisons show that the program is capable of demonstrating the fatigue life prediction results as well as the fatigue crack path satisfactorily.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.85 no.2
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• pp.147-161
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• 2023

Based on the ideas of variational differential quadrature (VDQ) and finite element method (FEM), a numerical approach named as VDQFEM is applied herein to study the large deformations of plate-type structures under static loading with arbitrary shape hole made of functionally graded graphene platelet-reinforced composite (FG-GPLRC) in the context of higher-order shear deformation theory (HSDT). The material properties of composite are approximated based upon the modified Halpin-Tsai model and rule of mixture. Furthermore, various FG distribution patterns are considered along the thickness direction of plate for GPLs. Using novel vector/matrix relations, the governing equations are derived through a variational approach. The matricized formulation can be efficiently employed in the coding process of numerical methods. In VDQFEM, the space domain of structure is first transformed into a number of finite elements. Then, the VDQ discretization technique is implemented within each element. As the last step, the assemblage procedure is performed to derive the set of governing equations which is solved via the pseudo arc-length continuation algorithm. Also, since HSDT is used herein, the mixed formulation approach is proposed to accommodate the continuity of first-order derivatives on the common boundaries of elements. Rectangular and circular plates under various boundary conditions with circular/rectangular/elliptical cutout are selected to generate the numerical results. In the numerical examples, the effects of geometrical properties and reinforcement with GPL on the nonlinear maximum deflection-transverse load amplitude curve are studied.

• Proceedings of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute Conference
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• 2001.10a
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• pp.295-302
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• 2001

In the present study, we propose the framework which directly links shell finite element to the surface geometric modeling. For the development of a robust shell element, partial mixed variational functional is provided. The NURBS is used to generate the general free form of parameterized shell surfaces. Employment of NURBS makes shell finite element handle the arbitrary geometry of the smooth shell surfaces. The proposed shell finite element model linked with NURBS surface representation provides efficiency for design and analysis and can be directly extended to surface shape optimization problems in future work.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.227-245
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• 2006

The performance of a three dimensional non-linear finite element model for hyperelastic material considering the effect of compressibility is studied by analyzing rubber blocks under different modes of deformation. It includes simple tension, pure shear, simple shear, pure bending and a mixed mode combining compression, shear and bending. The compressibility of the hyperelastic material is represented in the strain energy function. The nonlinear formulation is based on updated Lagrangian (UL) technique. The displacement model is implemented with a twenty node brick element having u, ${\nu}$ and w as the degrees of freedom at each node. The results obtained by the present numerical model are compared with the analytical solutions available for the basic modes of deformation where the agreement between the results is found to be satisfactory. In this context some new results are generated for future references since the number of available results on the present problem is not sufficient enough.