J.W. Chen¹, W. Liu¹, X.Y. Su^1,2

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.24, No.2, pp. 163-182, 2011, DOI:10.3970/cmc.2011.024.163

Abstract Truss-core sandwich plates are thin-walled structures comprising a truss core and two thin flat sheets. Since no direct analytical solution for the dynamic response of such structures exists, the complex three dimensional (3D) systems are idealized as equivalent 2D homogeneous continuous plates. The macroscopic effective bending and transverse shear stiffness are derived. Two representative core topologies are considered: pyramidal truss core and tetrahedral truss core. The first order shear deformation theory is used to study the flexural vibration of a simply supported sandwich plate. The buckling of the truss core plate on an elastic foundation subjected to biaxial in-plane compressive… More >

L. Dong¹, S. N. Atluri²

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.24, No.1, pp. 61-104, 2011, DOI:10.3970/cmc.2011.024.061

Abstract A simple procedure to formulate efficient and stable hybrid/mixed finite elements is developed, for applications in macro- as well as micromechanics. In this method, the strain and displacement field are independently assumed. Instead of using two-field variational principles to enforce both equilibrium and compatibility conditions in a variational sense, the independently assumed element strains are related to the strains derived from the independently assumed element displacements, at a finite number of collocation points within the element. The element stiffness matrix is therefore derived, by simply using the principle of minimum potential energy. Taking the four-node plane isoparametric element as an… More >

M. Al-Ajmi¹, A. Benjeddou²

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.23, No.3, pp. 265-286, 2011, DOI:10.3970/cmc.2011.023.265

Abstract A new discrete layer finite element (DLFE) is presented for electro-mechanically coupled analyses of moderately thick piezoelectric adaptive composite plates. The retained kinematics is based on layer-wise first-order shear deformation theory, and considers the plies top and bottom surfaces in-plane displacements and the plate transverse deflection as mechanical unknowns. The former are assumed in-plane Lagrange linear, while the latter is assumed in-plane full (Lagrange) quadratic; this results in a nine nodes quadrangular (Q9) DLFE. The latter is validated in free-vibrations, first numerically against ANSYS three-dimensional piezoelectric finite elements for a cantilever moderately thick aluminum plate with two co-localized piezoceramic patches,… More >

Hong-Hua Dai^1,2, Jeom Kee Paik³, S. N. Atluri²

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.23, No.2, pp. 155-186, 2011, DOI:10.3970/cmc.2011.023.155

Abstract The application of the Galerkin method, using global trial functions which satisfy the boundary conditions, to nonlinear partial differential equations such as those in the von Karman nonlinear plate theory, is well-known. Such an approach using trial function expansions involving multiple basis functions, leads to a highly coupled system of nonlinear algebraic equations (NAEs). The derivation of such a system of NAEs and their direct solutions have hitherto been considered to be formidable tasks. Thus, research in the last 40 years has been focused mainly on the use of local trial functions and the Galerkin method, applied to the piecewise… More >

Xiaonan Hou¹, Hong Hu¹, Yanping Liu¹, Vadim Silberschmidt²

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.23, No.2, pp. 119-134, 2011, DOI:10.3970/cmc.2011.023.119

Abstract Compressibility of warp-knitted spacer fabrics is one of their important mechanical properties with regard to many special applications such as body protection, cushion and mattresses. Due to specific structural features of the fabric and a non-linear mechanical behavior of monofilaments, the compression properties of this kind of fabrics are very complicated. Although several studies have been performed to investigate their compression behavior, its mechanism has not well been understood yet. This work is concerned with a study of compression mechanism of a selected warp-knitted spacer fabric with a given sandwich structure. Both experimental and numerical methods are used to study… More >

Hong-Hua Dai^1,2, Jeom Kee Paik³, Satya N. Atluri²

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.23, No.1, pp. 69-100, 2011, DOI:10.3970/cmc.2011.023.069

Abstract In this paper, the global nonlinear Galerkin method is used to perform an accurate and efficient analysis of the large deflection behavior of a simply-supported rectangular plate under combined loads. Through applying the Galerkin method to the governing nonlinear partial differential equations (PDEs) of the plate, we derive a system of coupled third order nonlinear algebraic equations (NAEs). However, the resultant system of NAEs is thought to be hard to tackle because one has to find the one physical solution from among the possible multiple solutions. Therefore, a suitable initial guess is required to lead to the real solution for… More >

H. T. Chen¹,K. H. Hsu¹, S. K. Lee¹, L. Y. Haung¹

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.22, No.3, pp. 239-260, 2011, DOI:10.3970/cmc.2011.022.239

Abstract The inverse scheme of the finite difference method in conjunction with the least-squares scheme and experimental measured temperatures is proposed to solve a two-dimensional steady-state inverse heat conduction problem in order to estimate the natural-convection heat transfer coefficient under the isothermal situation [`h] iso from three vertical fins mounted on a vertical plate and fin efficiency hf for various values of the fin spacing and fin height. The measured fin temperatures and ambient air temperature are measured from the present experimental apparatus conducted in a small wind tunnel. The heat transfer coefficient on the middle fin of three vertical fins… More >

M.F. Liu¹

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.22, No.2, pp. 97-128, 2011, DOI:10.3970/cmc.2011.022.097

Abstract A new invented Orthogonal Tapered Beam Functions (OTBFs) have been introduced in this paper and used in accordance with the Rayleigh-Ritz method to determine the natural frequencies and mode shapes of the non-uniform rectangular isotropic plates with varying thickness in one or two directions. The generation of the OTBFs is based on the static solution of a one-dimensional beam problem subjected to constant applied load, and then extends to an orthogonal or orthonomal infinite set of admissible functions by performing the three-term recurrence scheme. A wide range of non-uniform rectangular plate whose domain is referenced by a so-called truncation factor… More >

Zhuo-Jia Fu^1,2, Wen Chen¹, Qing-Hua Qin^2,3

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.21, No.3, pp. 187-208, 2011, DOI:10.3970/cmc.2011.021.187

Abstract This paper presents a hybrid finite element model (FEM) with a new type of general solution as interior trial functions, named as HGS-FEM. A variational functional corresponding to the proposed general solution is then constructed for deriving the element stiffness matrix of the proposed element model and the corresponding existence of extremum is verified. Then the assumed intra-element potential field is constructed by a linear combination of novel general solutions at the points on the element boundary under consideration. Furthermore, the independent frame field is introduced to guarantee the intra-element continuity. The present scheme inherits the advantages of hybrid Trefftz… More >

G. Gang¹, Y.H. Liu²

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.20, No.3, pp. 251-272, 2010, DOI:10.3970/cmc.2010.020.251

Abstract Limit and shakedown analysis theorems are the theories of classical plasticity for the direct computation of the load-carrying capacity under proportional and varying loads. Based on Melan's theorem, a solution procedure for lower bound limit and shakedown analysis of three-dimensional (3D) structures is established making use of the finite element method (FEM). The self-equilibrium stress fields are expressed by linear combination of several basic self-equilibrium stress fields with parameters to be determined. These basic self-equilibrium stress fields are elastic responses of the body to imposed permanent strains obtained through elastic-plastic incremental analysis by the three-dimensional finite element method (3D-FEM). The… More >