Variational modelling elastic tubes under

pure bending
M. Ahmer Wadee
a.wadee@imperial.ac.uk

Senior Lecturer
Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering
Imperial College London
London SW7 2AZ

Buckling of circular tubes in pure bending p. 1/33

Contents
Introduction to engineering bending theory
The behaviour of real tubes
Model formulation
Numerical solutions
Steel tubes
Aluminium tubes
Carbon nanotubes
Conclusions

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Acknowledgements
Collaborators
Stylianos Yiatros (Imperial)
Dr Khurram Wadee (University of Exeter)
Professor Andrew Bassom (University of Western
Australia)
Supported by EPSRC

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Instabilities: Tubes under bending

Under lateral loading (Snap-through)
deformation localized

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Demonstration film

Filmed on Location in the Hydrodynamics Laboratory

Dept of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Imperial
College London.
Starring: Hose pipe tube and Ahmer Wadees hands

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Engineers bending theory

Linear theory, small strain assumption.

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Engineers bending theory

Linear theory, small strain assumption.
Plane sections remain plane and normal to the neutral
surface.

Buckling of circular tubes in pure bending p. 6/33

Engineers bending theory

Linear theory, small strain assumption.
Plane sections remain plane and normal to the neutral
surface.
EulerBernoulli equation

E
M
= = .
I
y
R

Buckling of circular tubes in pure bending p. 6/33

Engineers bending theory

Linear theory, small strain assumption.
Plane sections remain plane and normal to the neutral
surface.
EulerBernoulli equation

E
M
= = .
I
y
R
Cross section remains undeformed.

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The behaviour of real tubes I

The Brazier effect (homogeneous ovalization)
Initially circular section ovalizes under increasing M .
First modelled by L. G. Brazier (Civ Eng IC PhD 1927)
and published in Proc. Roy. Soc. London.
Eric Reissner (ster. Ing. Arch., 1961) further developed
model using linear theory.
Key model characteristics:
Progressive destiffening of the response.
Ovalization assumed to occur uniformly.

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The behaviour of real tubes II

Kink formation
Reissners model: theoretical limiting moment.
Formation of kinks is known to occur much sooner.
This is a localization phenomenon: more severe
post-buckling response (e.g. buckling of shells, sandwich
panels and pipelines).
Aim: to account for ovalization and kink formation
together.

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Progressive deformation
y

y
M
x

z
x

(b) Orientation of the undeformed tube and axes.

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Progressive deformation (cont. . . )

(d) Small curvature

(h) Larger curvature

(f) Ovalization

(j) Localization

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Model formulation
Consider a thin circular tube with thickness t, radius r, length
L made of a linear elastic material with Youngs modulus E
and Poissons ratio .
Loading: applied uniform moment M .
Deformation: a prismatic beam bends into a circular arc
(approximated by a parabola).

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Model formulation (cont. . . )

Assume separate sway and tilt modes (with
non-dimensional amplitudes qs and qt respectively c.f.
EulerBernoulli theory where qs qt ).
Sway:
y
2r
W
z
y

Tilt:

Sway and tilt modes.

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Model formulation (cont. . . )

Under constant applied moment the overall deformation is
W (z) = qs z(z L)/L
(z) = qt (2z L)/L

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Definition of coordinates

y
+
x+
x(s)
y+
y(s)

w(z, )
Reissner deformation: (x, y) moves to (x + , y + ).
Additional radial deflection w(z, ).
In-plane displacement u u(z)y/r.
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Definitions (cont. . . )
Definition of constants and dimensionless quantities
Et3
r4 C
C = Et
D=
= 2 .
2
12(1 )
LD

Curvature 2qt .
M
Applied moment m
.
r CD

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Model formulation (cont. . . )

Assumptions of the analysis
Small strains but small nonlinear corrections.
First order:
2qt (y + )
y+

.
z =
R
L
von Krmns strain expression:
u 1
= z +
+
z 2

w
z

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Total potential energy components

There are five components of energy to consider.
Radial deformation is decomposed into the first three
Fourier cosine components:
w(z, ) = w0 (z) + w1 (z) cos + w2 (z) cos 2.

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Total potential energy components

There are five components of energy to consider.
Radial deformation is decomposed into the first three
Fourier cosine components:
w(z, ) = w0 (z) + w1 (z) cos + w2 (z) cos 2.
Bending energy (a dot denotes differentiation wrt z):
1
Ub = Et
2

2r

w
2 (y + )2 ds dz.
0

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Total potential energy components

There are five components of energy to consider.
Radial deformation is decomposed into the first three
Fourier cosine components:
w(z, ) = w0 (z) + w1 (z) cos + w2 (z) cos 2.
Bending energy (a dot denotes differentiation wrt z):
1
Ub = Et
2

2r

w
2 (y + )2 ds dz.
0

Membrane energy:
1
Um = Et
2

2r

2 ds dz.
0

0
Buckling of circular tubes in pure bending p. 17/33

Total potential energy components

Shear strain energy:
1
Us = Gt
2
where G =

E
,
2(1+)

2r

2
ds dz
yz
0

yz = (qs qt ) (2z/L 1) + u/r.

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Total potential energy components

Shear strain energy:
1
Us = Gt
2
where G =

E
,
2(1+)

2r

2
ds dz
yz
0

yz = (qs qt ) (2z/L 1) + u/r.

Circumferential bending energy:

2r

Ucs =
0

1
D
2

w
s2

ds dz.

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Total potential energy components

Work done by load:
2r

M =
0

Etz u ds dz +

M
0

2qt
u
+
r
L

dz.

Total potential energy functional:

V = Ub + Um + Us + Ucs M .

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Governing equations
V is integrated around the section: single integral wrt z.

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Governing equations
V is integrated around the section: single integral wrt z.
Calculus of variations is used to derive the
EulerLagrange equations for this system:
3 linked 4th-order ODEs (one for each Fourier
component of w) and a 2nd-order ODE in u plus two
integral constraints for qs and qt .

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Governing equations
V is integrated around the section: single integral wrt z.
Calculus of variations is used to derive the
EulerLagrange equations for this system:
3 linked 4th-order ODEs (one for each Fourier
component of w) and a 2nd-order ODE in u plus two
integral constraints for qs and qt .
Solutions sought with solver AUTO 97 on half-interval with
simple-support conditions at z = 0 and appropriate
symmetry conditions at z = 12 L.

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Equilibrium paths
Generic equilibrium behaviour: moment vs curvature. Note:
uniform ovalization path, bifurcating branches and modes.

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Equilibrium paths: Comparisons

Note comparisons with Reissner and our earlier model:
m

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Numerical solutions for steel tubes

Properties of steel tube: E = 205 kN/mm2 , = 0.3,
L = 400 mm, L/r = 40, r/t = 10

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Numerical solutions for steel tubes

3-D view of tube:

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Numerical solutions for steel tubes

Variation of slenderness of length L/r

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Equilibrium paths: Higher modes

Branches for modes 3 and 4 that appear for higher L/r ratios

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Numerical solutions for steel tubes

Properties of steel tube: E = 205 kN/mm2 , = 0.3,
L = 400 mm, L/r = 62.5, r/t = 10.

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Limit moments
Scatter plot shows Limit moment m vs bending stiffness I/L

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Numerics: Cross sections

Properties of steel tube: L = 400 mm, L/r = 40, r/t = 10 End
cross-section:
8
6
4
2

K10

K5

K2
K4
K6
K8

10

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Numerics: Cross sections

Midspan cross-section (dotted: end-section):
8
6
4
2

K10

K5

K2
K4
K6
K8

10

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Numerics: Cross sections

Maximum expanded cross-section (dotted: end-section):

K15

K10

K5

10

15

K5
K10
K15

For the small number modes (1 or 2) the deformation

expansion is not that realistic.
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On-going work
Plenty of work needs to be done:
Inclusion of membrane energy from radial expansion
to penalize expansion/contraction shown previously

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On-going work
Plenty of work needs to be done:
Inclusion of membrane energy from radial expansion
to penalize expansion/contraction shown previously
Other developments:
Inclusion of radial pressure p
Orthotropic materials

Buckling of circular tubes in pure bending p. 32/33

On-going work
Plenty of work needs to be done:
Inclusion of membrane energy from radial expansion
to penalize expansion/contraction shown previously
Other developments:
Inclusion of radial pressure p
Orthotropic materials
Finite element or experimental validation

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Conclusions
Tubes modelled using elasticity and energy methods

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Conclusions
Tubes modelled using elasticity and energy methods
Inhomogeneous (localized) buckle pattern found in elastic
tubes

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Conclusions
Tubes modelled using elasticity and energy methods
Inhomogeneous (localized) buckle pattern found in elastic
tubes
Buckling moment is well below Brazier/Reissners
predictions

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Conclusions
Tubes modelled using elasticity and energy methods
Inhomogeneous (localized) buckle pattern found in elastic
tubes
Buckling moment is well below Brazier/Reissners
predictions
Possible applications: structural engineering, biological
systems, nanotechnology

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