Plates and Shells: Theory and Computation

- 4D9 Dr Fehmi Cirak (fc286@)

Office: Inglis building mezzanine level (INO 31)

Outline -1!

This part of the module consists of seven lectures and will focus on finite
elements for beams, plates and shells. More specifically, we will consider
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Review of elasticity equations in strong and weak form

Beam models and their finite element discretisation

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Euler-Bernoulli beam
Timoshenko beam

Plate models and their finite element discretisation

Shells as an assembly of plate and membrane finite elements

Introduction to geometrically exact shell finite elements

Dynamics

F. Cirak

Outline -2!

There will be opportunities to gain hands-on experience with the

implementation of finite elements using MATLAB
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One hour lab session on implementation of beam finite elements (will be not marked)
Coursework on implementation of plate finite elements and dynamics

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Why Learn Plate and Shell FEs?

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Beam, plate and shell FE are available in almost all finite element software
packages
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The intelligent use of this software and correct interpretation of output requires basic
understanding of the underlying theories

FEM is able to solve problems on geometrically complicated domains

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Analytic methods introduced in the first part of the module are only suitable for computing plates
and shells with regular geometries, like disks, cylinders, spheres etc.
Many shell structures consist of free form surfaces and/or have a complex topology
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Computational methods are the only tool for designing such shell structures

FEM is able to solve problems involving large deformations, non-linear

material models and/or dynamics
FEM is very cost effective and fast compared to experimentation

F. Cirak

Literature
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JN Reddy, An introduction to the finite element method, McGraw-Hill (2006)

TJR Hughes, The finite element method, linear static and dynamic finite element
analysis, Prentice-Hall (1987)

K-J Bathe, Finite element procedures, Prentice Hall (1996)

J Fish, T Belytschko, A first course on finite elements, John Wiley & Sons (2007)

3D7 - Finite element methods - handouts

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Examples of Shell Structures -1!

Civil engineering

Masonry shell structure (Eladio Dieste)

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Mechanical engineering and aeronautics

Ship hull (sheet metal and frame)

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Concrete roof structure (Pier Luigi Nervi)

Fuselage (sheet metal and frame)

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Examples of Shell Structures -2!

Consumer products

Nature

Crusteceans
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Ficus elastica leaf

Red blood cells

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Representative Finite Element Computations

Wrinkling of an inflated party balloon

Virtual crash test (BMW)

buckling of carbon nanotubes

Sheet metal stamping (Abaqus)
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Shell-Fluid Coupled Airbag Inflation -1-

0.49 m

0.86 m

6m
0.8

0.025 m

0.74 m

0.123 m
Shell mesh: 10176 elements

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Fluid mesh: 48x48x62 cells

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Shell-Fluid Coupled Airbag Inflation -2-

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Detonation Driven Fracture -1Fractured tubes (Al 6061-T6)

Modeling and simulation challenges

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Ductile mixed mode fracture

Fluid-shell interaction

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Detonation Driven Fracture -2-

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Roadmap for the Derivation of FEM

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As introduced in 3D7, there are two distinct ingredients that are combined
to arrive at the discrete system of FE equations
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In the derivation of the weak form for beams, plates and shells the
following approach will be pursued
1)
2)
3)

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The weak form

A mesh and the corresponding shape functions

Assume how a beam, plate or shell deforms across its thickness

Introduce the assumed deformations into the weak form of three-dimensional elasticity
Integrate the resulting three-dimensional elasticity equations along the thickness direction
analytically

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Elasticity Theory -1!

Consider a body in its undeformed (reference) configuration

Kinematic equations; defined based on displacements of an infinitesimal

volume element)
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The body deforms due to loading and the material points move by a displacement

Axial strains

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Elasticity Theory -2!

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Shear components

Stresses
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Normal stress components

Shear stress component

Shear stresses are symmetric

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Elasticity Theory -3!

Equilibrium equations (determined from equilibrium of an infinitesimal

volume element)
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Equilibrium in x-direction

Equilibrium in y-direction

Equilibrium in z-direction

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are the components of the external loading vector (e.g., gravity)

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Elasticity Theory -4!

Hookes law (linear elastic material equations)

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With the material constants Youngs modulus and Poissons ratio

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Index Notation -1!

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The notation used on the previous slides is rather clumsy and leads to very
long expressions
Matrices and vectors can also be expressed in index notation, e.g.

Summation convention: a repeated index implies summation over 1,2,3, e.g.

A comma denotes differentiation

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Index Notation -2!

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Kronecker delta

Examples:

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Elasticity Theory in Index Notation -1!

Kinematic equations

Equilibrium equations
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Note that these are six equations

Note that these are three equations

Linear elastic material equations

Inverse relationship

Instead of the Youngs modulus and Poissons ratio the Lame constants can be used

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Weak Form of Equilibrium Equations -1!

The equilibrium, kinematic and material equations can be combined into

three coupled second order partial differential equations

Next the equilibrium equations in weak form are considered in preparation

for finite elements
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In structural analysis the weak form is also known as the principle of virtual displacements
To simplify the derivations we assume that the boundaries of the domain are fixed (built-in, zero
displacements)
The weak form is constructed by multiplying the equilibrium equations with test functions vi which
are zero at fixed boundaries but otherwise arbitrary

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Weak Form of Equilibrium Equations -1!

Aside: divergence theorem

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Consider a vector field

The divergence theorem states

and its divergence

Using the divergence theorem equation (1) reduces to

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Further make use of integration by parts

which leads to the principle of virtual displacements

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Weak Form of Equilibrium Equations -2!

The integral on the right hand side is the external virtual work performed by the external forces due to virtual
displacements

Note that the material equations have not been used in the preceding derivation.
Hence, the principle of virtual work is independent of material (valid for elastic, plastic,
)
The internal virtual work can also be written with virtual strains so that the principle of
virtual work reads

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The integral on the left hand side is the internal virtual work performed by the internal stresses due to virtual
displacements

Try to prove
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