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SHELL STRUCTURES: THEORY AND APPLICATIONS VOLUME 4
PROCEEDINGS OF THE 11TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE “SHELL STRUCTURES:
THEORY AND APPLICATIONS” (SSTA 2017), OCTOBER 11–13, 2017, GDANSK, POLAND

Shell Structures: Theory and

Applications Volume 4

Editors
Wojciech Pietraszkiewicz & Wojciech Witkowski
Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Department of Mechanics
of Materials and Structures, Gdansk University of Technology, Gdańsk, Poland
CRC Press/Balkema is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2018 Taylor & Francis Group, London, UK
Typeset by MPS Limited, Chennai, India
Printed and bound in Great Britain by CPI Group (UK) Ltd, Croydon, CR0 4YY
All rights reserved. No part of this publication or the information contained herein may be
reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical, by photocopying, recording or otherwise, without written prior permission from
the publishers.
Although all care is taken to ensure integrity and the quality of this publication and the
information herein, no responsibility is assumed by the publishers nor the author for any
damage to the property or persons as a result of operation or use of this publication and/or
the information contained herein.
Published by: CRC Press/Balkema
Schipholweg 107C, 2316 XC Leiden, The Netherlands
e-mail: Pub.NL@taylorandfrancis.com
www.crcpress.com – www.taylorandfrancis.com
ISBN: 978-1-138-05045-7 (Hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-16660-5 (eBook)
 Shell Structures: Theory and Applications Volume 4 – Pietraszkiewicz & Witkowski (eds)
© 2018 Taylor & Francis Group, London, ISBN 978-1-138-05045-7

Table of contents

Preface XIII
Organizers XV
Acknowledgments XVII
Committees XIX

General lectures
Computational models for the multifield analysis of laminated shells and related best theory diagrams 3
E. Carrera & M. Petrolo
Micro/nanoscale assembly of three-dimensional shell/ribbon architectures by compressive buckling 11
H. Fu & Y. Zhang
Topology and material optimization of plates and shells 19
T. Lewiński, S. Czarnecki, R. Czubacki & T. Sokół
Solid-shell formulations based on reduced integration—investigations of anisotropic
material behaviour, large deformation problems and stability 31
S. Reese, O. Barfusz, M. Schwarze & J.-W. Simon
Challenges and their resolution in both philosophy and process to exploit advanced computation in
shell structure design 41
J.M. Rotter

Theoretical modelling
Asymptotic modelling of thin almost circular nonlinear interphases in the setting of heat transfer
featuring significant sources/sinks 53
D. Andreeva & W. Miszuris
On isotropic linear elastic material laws for directed planes 57
M. Aßmus, J. Eisenträger & H. Altenbach
Nonlinear bending analysis of functionally graded plates with complex shape resting on
elastic foundations 61
J. Awrejcewicz, L.V. Kurpa & K.I. Lyubitska
Modelling of equivalent shells of revolution with negative Gaussian curvature 65
T. Belica & K. Magnucki
Design optimization and failure modelling of ribbed cross-laminated timber plates 69
B. Brank, A. Stanić, M. Lavrenčič & B. Hudobivnik
Lagrangian mechanics of classical shells: Theory and calculation of shells of revolution 73
V.V. Eliseev & T.V. Zinovieva
On bending of laminate plates with interfacial stresses 77
V.A. Eremeyev, V.I. Kushch & F. Stachowicz
On characterization of an elastic network within the six-parameter shell theory 81
V.A. Eremeyev
On extended models of plates based on linear strain gradient elasticity 85
V.A. Eremeyev & E.C. Aifantis
On phase equilibrium of an elastic liquid shell with wedge disclination 89
V.A. Eremeyev & V. Konopińska-Zmysłowska

V
Biaxial bias extension test for pantographic sheets 93
I. Giorgio, U. Andreaus & D. Scerrato
Modelling of heat conduction in multi-layered shells on planar mesh 97
J. Jaśkowiec & P. Pluciński
General and standard tolerance models of thin two-directional periodic plates 101
J. Je˛drysiak
A cylindrical membrane partially stretched over a rigid cone 105
A.M. Kolesnikov & I.S. Purtova
On mechanical moduli of single layer graphene sheets 109
S.N. Korobeynikov, V.V. Alyokhin & A.V. Babichev
A study on transverse shear correction for laminated sandwich panels 113
I. Kreja & A. Sabik
Interaction of rectangular sandwich plates with waves in acoustic medium 117
N.A. Lokteva & D.V. Tarlakovskii
Adhesion model of hyperfine shells (SWNT) 121
S.A. Lurie, P.A. Belov & N.P. Tuchkova
On the modeling of periodic three-layered structures with inert core 125
J. Marczak & J. Je˛drysiak
Dynamic tolerance modeling of plane-structure with bidirectional microstructure 129
B. Michalak & M. Rabenda
Damage growth of laminated composite structures containing a hole 133
A. Muc & M. Sikoń
Thermoelastic problems of periodically stratified thick plates 137
E. Pazera & J. Je˛drysiak
Structural behaviour of sandwich structures with local debondings between the core
and the facings 141
Z. Pozorski & J. Pozorska
Homogenization of a second order plate model 145
E. Pruchnicki
Theory of thin plate in asymmetric elasticity 149
N.N. Rogacheva
Dislocations, disclinations, and metric anomalies as sources of global strain incompatibility
in thin shells 153
A. Roychowdhury & A. Gupta
The construction of Timoshenko type theory for elastic multilayered shells 157
S.H. Sargsyan
On the shear stiffness influence for modelling of deformations of pantographic sheets 161
D. Scerrato, I.A. Zhurba Eremeeva, T. Lekszycki & N.L. Rizzi
Equilibrium of cracked shell with flexible coating 165
I.P. Shatskyi, M.V. Makoviichuk & A.B. Shcherbii
Review of estimation of failure resistance of cylindrical pressure vessels with internal cracks 169
B. Szybiński & P. Romanowicz
On the compatibility equations in shell theories considering transverse shear and normal strains 173
D.V. Tarlakovskii & S.I. Zhavoronok
How to easily model doubly curved shells with variable radii of curvature 177
F. Tornabene, N. Fantuzzi & M. Bacciocchi
Applied theory of shallow multilayered or functionally graded shells 181
P.E. Tovstik & T.P. Tovstik

VI
Torsion of an elastic transversely isotropic half-space with a coating reinforced by a
functionally graded interlayer 185
A.S. Vasiliev, S.S. Volkov & S.M. Aizikovich
A general higher-order shell theory based on the analytical dynamics of constrained
continuum systems 189
S.I. Zhavoronok
The equations of motion of micropolar elastic shells in cylindrical Eulerian coordinates 193
L.M. Zubov

Stability
Local stability of a plate with a circular inclusion under tensile stress 199
S.M. Bauer, S.V. Kashtanova, N.F. Morozov & A.M. Ermakov
Methods of analysis of large deformation and stability of elastoplastic shells 203
V.G. Bazhenov, A.I. Kibec, E.V. Nagornykh & A.A. Artemyeva
A plastic flow based plate buckling theory 207
J. Becque
The effects of varying axial length on buckling of axially compressed cylinders 211
J. Błachut
On instability of a three-layered nonlinear elastic rectangular plate with prestressed middle layer 215
V.V. Eremeev & L.M. Zubov
Buckling and optimal design of ring-stiffened thin cylindrical shell 219
S. Filippov
Exploring islands of stability in the design space of cylindrical shell structures 223
R.M.J. Groh & A. Pirrera
Numerical investigations on buckling of cylindrical metal silos with corrugated sheets
and open-sectional column profiles 227
P. Hajko, J. Tejchman & M. Wójcik
A novel method for estimating minimum strength for elastic buckling under axial
compression of thin shell structure 231
K. Hayashi & M. Ishinabe
Buckling of simplified models of silo with corrugated walls and vertical stiffeners 235
P. Iwicki, K. Rejowski & J. Tejchman
Buckling of thin-walled steel shells with closely spaced, discrete and flexible anchors
under wind load 239
A. Jäger-Cañás, J. Bothe & K. Thiele
Experimental investigations of buckling of pressurized spherical caps 243
S. Kołodziej & J. Marcinowski
Influence of elements of coupling stiffness sub-matrix on nonlinear stability FGM-FML
thin-walled columns with open cross-section 247
Z. Kolakowski, R.J. Mania & A. Teter
Deformation and stability of thin-walled shallow shells in the case of periodically
non-uniform stress-strain state 251
V.L. Krasovsky, O.V. Lykhachova & Ya.O. Bessmertnyi
Elastic buckling of a sandwich cylindrical panel with corrugated core 255
K. Magnucki, S. Milecki & E. Magnucka-Blandzi
Thin laminated cylindrical shells containing magnetorheological elastomers:
Buckling and vibrations 259
G. Mikhasev

VII
Buckling analysis of multilayered plates with embedded circular delaminations and
subjected to axial compression 263
A. Muc & P. Romanowicz

Geometrically nonlinear strain and buckling analysis of sandwich plates and

shells reinforced on their edge 267
V.N. Paimushin, M.V. Makarov, I.B. Badriev & S.A. Kholmogorov

On stability of a nonlinearly elastic rectangular plate with surface stresses 271

D.N. Sheydakov

Elastic postbuckling deformation analysis of thin periodic plates 275

M. Świa˛tek & Ł. Domagalski

High-fidelity design methods to determine knockdown factors for the buckling load of
axially loaded composite cylindrical shells 279
H.N.R. Wagner, C. Hühne, S. Niemann & L. Weiß

Stability of a multilayered non-circular cylindrical shell under external pressure 283

A. Zelinskaya & P.E. Tovstik

Dynamics

Compound shell structures: Statics, stability and vibrations 289

Ya. Grigorenko, E. Bespalova & N. Yaremchenko

Modelling of elastic wave propagation in a bolted joint using a thin layer of shell elements 293
R. Ke˛dra & M. Rucka

Analysis of modal parameters of box shaped laminated shells 297

B. Markiewicz & L. Ziemiański

Transient contact problem for spherical shell and elastic half-space 301
E.Yu. Mikhailova, G.V. Fedotenkov & D.V. Tarlakovskii

The impact of liquid filled concentric spherical shells with a rigid wall 305
E.Yu. Mikhailova, G.V. Fedotenkov & D.V. Tarlakovskii

Numerical analysis of free vibrations of a tube shaped laminated cantilever 309

B. Miller & L. Ziemiański

On the research of nonstationary dynamic problems for visco-elastic cylindrical shells 313
A.V. Netrebko & S.G. Pshenichnov

Acoustic influence on the plate, located between the barriers and fixed through the elastic
interlayers in the cell of the rigid lattice 317
V.N. Paimushin & R.K. Gazizullin

Influence of imperfection of supported edges of three-layered annular plate on dynamic response 321
D. Pawlus

Application of guided waves in the evaluation of steel-concrete adhesive connection 325

M. Rucka & B. Zima

Lamb wave propagation in a single lap adhesive joint 329

M. Rucka, J. Lachowicz & E. Wojtczak

Using the R-functions theory for investigation of nonlinear vibrations of FGM shallow shells 333
T.V. Shmatko & A. Bhaskar

Dynamic modelling of thin longitudinally graded cylindrical shells 337

B. Tomczyk & P. Szczerba

VIII
Tolerance modelling of dynamic problems for thin biperiodic shells 341
B. Tomczyk & A. Litawska

Numerical analysis
Finite element simulation of cross shaped window panel supports 347
A. Ambroziak
Modal analysis of a fish-belly flap type of steel water gate 351
K. Brusewicz, W. Sterpejkowicz-Wersocki & R. Jankowski
Dual and mixed axisymmetric shell finite elements using NURBS mid-surface interpolation 355
D. Burmeister & B. Tóth
Mixed 4-node shell element with assumed strain and stress in 6-parameter theory 359
J. Chróścielewski, S. Burzyński, K. Daszkiewicz & W. Witkowski
Nonlinear FEM analysis of irregular shells composed of fiber metal laminates 363
J. Chróścielewski, S. Burzyński, A. Sabik, B. Sobczyk & W. Witkowski
Triangular and quadrilateral flat shell finite elements for nonlinear analysis of
thin-walled reinforced concrete structures in SCAD software 367
S.Yu. Fialko & V.S. Karpilovskyi
Physical shape functions in 6-parameter shell theory finite elements 371
W. Gilewski, A. Al Sabouni-Zawadzka & J. Pełczynski
A mixed refined zigzag theory for the modeling of layered plate structures 375
M. Köpple & W. Wagner
Strength and buckling of an untypical dished head of a cylindrical pressure vessel 379
K. Magnucki, M. Rodak & P. Jasion
Estimation of sandwich cylindrical shells with the FRP skins and the core of the
mineral wool plates 383
M.V. Mishnev
FEM simulation of laminate failure in the three point bending 387
A. Sabik
A simplified co-rotational approach for triangular shell elements based on the pure
deformational mode 391
Y.Q. Tang & S.L. Chan
Computer simulation of cylindrical shell deformation based on micropolar media equations 395
M. Varygina
Recent improvements to nine-node shell element MITC9 with drilling rotations 399
K. Wisniewski & E. Turska
Analytical aspects of the 3D-based hierarchical models of three-dimensional, transition and
symmetric-thickness piezoelectrics as applied in adaptive FEM 403
G. Zboiński

Engineering design
Shape transformations of folded sheets providing shell free forms for roofing 409
J. Abramczyk
Sensitivity analysis in design process of sandwich U-shaped composite footbridge 413
T. Ferenc, Ł. Pyrzowski, J. Chróścielewski & T. Mikulski
The validation process of truss model with joint eccentricities 417
M. Gordziej-Zagórowska, E. Urbańska-Galewska & Ł. Pyrzowski
Imperfection sensitivity study of discretely supported shells with vertical stiffeners 421
E. Hotała, Ł, Skotny & J. Klimiuk

IX
Experimental investigation of limit load of composite sandwich plate with cut-out 425
H. Kopecki & Ł. Świe˛ch
The effect of corrosion and time on the behaviour of a steel culvert 429
B. Kunecki, L. Janusz & L. Korusiewicz
Influence of an applied bearing system on behaviour of multi-span footbridge 433
M. Miśkiewicz & Ł. Pyrzowski
Load testing of a suspended footbridge in Radom (Poland) 437
M. Miśkiewicz, Ł. Pyrzowski, K. Wilde, J. Chróścielewski & J. Kałuża
Deformations of multilayered laminated cylindrical shells arising during manufacturing process 441
A. Muc & P. Romanowicz
Imaging elastic degradation in reinforced concrete slab using methodology of ultrasonic
tomography and Tikhonov regularization 445
Z. Perkowski, K. Tatara & M. Czabak
Experimental study and numerical calculations in the analysis of thin-walled structures 449
A. Piekarczuk
Numerical analysis of mechanical joint in thin-walled composite structures 453
K. Puchała, E. Szymczyk & J. Jachimowicz
Composite sandwich footbridge—measured dynamic response vs. FEA 457
Ł. Pyrzowski, B. Sobczyk, M. Rucka, M. Miśkiewicz & J. Chróścielewski
Collapse mode of flange vertical buckling of an I-sectioned steel girder 461
S. Shimizu, T. Ohkawa & N. Tanaka
Analysis of sandwich panels with hybrid core made of aerogel and PIR foam 465
R. Studziński
Optimum design of a small wind turbine 469
T. Szafrański, J. Małachowski, K. Damaziak & J. Bukała
Stress analysis of the bridge hangers in terms of the fatigue verification 473
M. Szafrański, T. Galewski & R. Łapigrowski
Analysis of the cyclic load-unload-reload tests of VALMEX aged fabric 477
K. Żerdzicki, P. Kłosowski & K. Woźnica
Correlation between natural frequencies and buckling load in a stiffened shell 481
Ł. Żmuda-Trzebiatowski & P. Iwicki
Launching of steel bridge girder. Application of nonlinear shell models 485
K. Zoltowski & M. Binczyk
Shell model of multiple-row moment I-section end-plate joint 489
K. Zoltowski & P. Kalitowski

Biomechanical problems
Accuracy of applanation tonometry readings before and after refractive surgery 495
S.M. Bauer, L. Venatovskaya & E. Voronkova
Surface sliding in human abdominal wall numerical models: Comparison of
single-surface and multi-surface composites 499
P. Bielski & I. Lubowiecka
Membrane model of human abdominal wall. Simulations vs. in vivo measurements 503
I. Lubowiecka, A. Tomaszewska, K. Szepietowska, C. Szymczak,
M. Lichodziejewska-Niemierko & M. Chmielewski
Parametric 3D FE model of coronary stent structure for radial force assessment 507
L. Mazurkiewicz, J. Bukala & J. Malachowski
Isogeometric Kirchhoff–Love shells: Numerics, constitution and biomechanical applications 511
F. Roohbakhshan, T.X. Duong & R.A. Sauer

X
Global sensitivity analysis of membrane model of abdominal wall with surgical mesh 515
K. Szepietowska, I. Lubowiecka, B. Magnain & E. Florentin
FEM approach to modelling of an irregular trabecular structure 519
W. Wojnicz & E. Wittbrodt

Miscellaneous topics
Application and mechanical properties of aluminium alloys 525
A. Ambroziak & M.T. Solarczyk
Failure of cold-formed beam: How does residual stress affect stability? 529
P. Bielski, O. Wysocki & J. Czyżewicz
TS-based RSM-aided design of cold-formed steel stiffened C-sectional columns
susceptible to buckling 533
P. Deniziak & K. Winkelmann
Generation of random fields to reflect material and geometric imperfections of plates and shells 537
J. Górski & K. Winkelmann
Beams in plane bending 541
R. Kienzler & P. Schneider
Local buckling of compressed flange of cold-formed channel members made of aluminum alloy 545
M. Kujawa & C. Szymczak
Application of lightweight cement composite with foamed glass aggregate in shell structures 549
M. Kurpińska & T. Ferenc
Modal analysis of temporary steel grandstand equipped with different bracing systems 553
N. Lasowicz & R. Jankowski
Numerical simulation of hardening of concrete plate 557
A. Mariak, J. Chróścielewski & K. Wilde
Generalized Taylor formula and shell structures for the analysis of the interaction between
geosythetics and engineering structures of transportation lines 561
E. Mieloszyk & S. Grulkowski
Nonlinear forced vibrations of periodic beams 565
M. Świa˛tek & Ł. Domagalski
Relation between optimal lattice shell shape and elastic curve 569
R. Tarczewski & M. Świe˛ciak

Author index 573

XI
 Shell Structures: Theory and Applications Volume 4 – Pietraszkiewicz & Witkowski (eds)
© 2018 Taylor & Francis Group, London, ISBN 978-1-138-05045-7

Preface

Conferences “Shell Structures: Theory and Applications” are traditionally organized by the Section of Structural
Mechanics of the Committee for Civil Engineering of the Polish Academy of Sciences in co-operation with
other scientific and technological organizations. Previous SSTA conferences were held in Cracow (1974), Gołuń
(1978), Opole (1982), Szklarska Poreba˛ (1986), Janowice (1992), Jurata (1998, 2002, 2005, 2009) and Gdańsk
(2013). The aim of the meetings is always the same: to bring together scientists, engineers, and other specialists
of shell structures in order to discuss important results and new ideas in the field. The goal is to pursue more
accurate theoretical models, to develop more powerful and versatile methods of analysis, as well as to disseminate
expertise in design and maintenance of shell structures.
Three volumes Shell Structures: Theory and Applications published by Taylor & Francis Group, London
2006, 2010, and 2014 contained full texts of papers presented at the 8th, 9th and 10th SSTA Conferences held
in Gdańsk (Poland), respectively. These three books have met with a considerable response of the international
shell community.
This fourth volume of the series contains full texts of 132 papers selected for presentation at the 11th Confer-
ence “Shell Structures: Theory and Applications” to be held on October 11–13, 2017 in Gdańsk (Poland). The
papers reflect a wide spectrum of scientific and engineering problems of shell structures. For readers convenience,
the contents of the book is divided into eight thematic groups of papers: general lectures, theoretical modelling,
stability, dynamics, numerical analyses, engineering problems, biomechanical applications, and miscellaneous
topics. We do hope that information presented in this volume will be of interest to academics, students, designers
and engineers dealing with various problems of thin-walled shell structures.
We would like to express our gratitude to all Authors for their valuable contributions and for their willingness
to share their research and development activities with the shell international community. We are particularly
grateful to the Authors of Invited General Lectures, Professors: E. Carrera & M. Petrolo (Italy), H. Fu & Y.
Zhang (PR China), T. Lewiński et al. (Poland), S. Reese et al. (Germany), and J.M. Rotter (United Kingdom)
for their exceptionally valuable and extensive contributions to this volume.
Each manuscript submitted to 11th SSTA and printed in this volume has been reviewed by a member of
the International Advisory Board and then refined by the Author(s) according to the referee comments. We
are deeply indebted to all members of the International Advisory Board for their important role in shaping the
Conference program and for their great help in bringing all the papers to highest research standards. Most of
the final texts have additionally been adjusted to technical requirements of the publisher, remaining printing
errors have been corrected, and the English of some texts has been refined. We would like to thank very much
˛
indeed our associates T. Ferenc, D. Bruski, K. Daszkiewicz, R. Kedra, B. Kotarska-Lewandowska, M. Kujawa,
J. Lachowicz, A. Sabik, M. Skowronek, B. Sobczyk, B. Zima for their invaluable help in bringing the book to its
final form.
Financial support provided by SOFiSTiK AG, Nürnberg, Germany; Pomorska Okregowa Izba Inzynierów
Budownictwa, Gdansk, Poland; PORR S.A., Warsaw, Poland; Gotowski BKiP, Bydgoszcz, Poland; Sika Poland
Sp. z o.o, Warsaw, Poland; Design Office of Municipal Engineering (BPBK S.A.), Gdańsk, Poland is gratefully
acknowledged.
Gdańsk, July 2017 Wojciech Pietraszkiewicz
Wojciech Witkowski

XIII
 Shell Structures: Theory and Applications Volume 4 – Pietraszkiewicz & Witkowski (eds)
© 2018 Taylor & Francis Group, London, ISBN 978-1-138-05045-7

Organizers

The Committee on Civil Engineering and Hydroengineering of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Section of
Structural Mechanics and Materials
Polish Society of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics
The Committee on Mechanics of the Polish Academy of Sciences
Polish Association for Computational Mechanics
Gdańsk University of Technology, Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Department of Mechanics
of Materials and Structures, Department of Structural Mechanics

XV
 Shell Structures: Theory and Applications Volume 4 – Pietraszkiewicz & Witkowski (eds)
© 2018 Taylor & Francis Group, London, ISBN 978-1-138-05045-7

Acknowledgments

We are grateful for the financial support given by the following institutions:
SOFiSTiK AG, Oberschleißheim, Germany
˛
Pomorska Okregowa Izba Inżynierów Budownictwa, Gdańsk, Poland
PORR S.A., Warsaw, Poland
Gotowski BKiP, Bydgoszcz, Poland
Sika Poland Sp. z o.o., Warsaw, Poland
Design Office of Municipal Engineering (BPBK S.A.), Gdańsk, Poland

XVII
 Shell Structures: Theory and Applications Volume 4 – Pietraszkiewicz & Witkowski (eds)
© 2018 Taylor & Francis Group, London, ISBN 978-1-138-05045-7

Committees

INTERNATIONAL ADVISORY BOARD

W. Pietraszkiewicz (Poland) – Chairman

H. Altenbach (Germany)
M. Amabili (Canada)
J. Awrejcewicz (Poland)
J. Błachut (UK / Poland)
E. Carrera (Italy)
J. Chróścielewski (Poland)
P.G. Ciarlet (Hong Kong, China)
V.A. Eremeyev (Russia / Poland)
J. Górski (Poland)
D.H. Hodges (USA)
Y. Huang (USA)
M. Kleiber (Poland)
P. Kłosowski (Poland)
Z. Kołakowski (Poland)
S.N. Korobeynikov (Russia)
I. Kreja (Poland)
T. Lewiński (Poland)
K. Magnucki (Poland)
G.I. Mikhasev (Belarus)
P. Neff (Germany)
J.N. Reddy (USA)
J.M. Rotter (UK)
E. Ramm (Germany)
S. Shimizu (Japan)
D.J. Steigmann (USA)
F. Tornabene (Italy)
W. Wagner (Germany)
K. Wisniewski (Poland)
W. Witkowski (Poland)
A. Zingoni (UK, South Africa)

ORGANIZING COMMITTEE

Wojciech Witkowski– Chairman,

Jarosław Górski – Vice-Chairman,
Stanisław Burzyński, Tomasz Ferenc – Secretaries,
D. Bruski, K. Daszkiewicz, M. Jasina, R. Kedra,˛ B. Kotarska-Lewandowska, A. Kryczałło, M. Kujawa,
J. Lachowicz, H. Małyszczyk, M. Rucka, A. Sabik, M. Skowronek, B. Sobczyk, B. Zima

XIX
General lectures
 Shell Structures: Theory and Applications Volume 4 – Pietraszkiewicz & Witkowski (eds)
© 2018 Taylor & Francis Group, London, ISBN 978-1-138-05045-7

Computational models for the multifield analysis of laminated

shells and related best theory diagrams

E. Carrera & M. Petrolo

MUL2 Group, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering,
Politecnico di Torino, Italy

ABSTRACT: This paper presents plate and shell models for multifield problems and proposes methodologies
to refine structural models according to given accuracy and computational cost requirements. In multifield
problems for multilayered structures, refined models are necessary to deal with many non-classical effects due,
for instance, to the presence of large variations of properties among layers. In such research scenario, the Carrera
Unified Formulation (CUF) is a well-established framework. Via the CUF, the 3D structural problem is reduced
to a 2D or 1D variant. In other words, the 3D unknown variables become 2D or 1D, and expansion functions
along the thickness or the cross-section of the structure define the order of the model, or computational cost and
its accuracy. The CUF models proved to be able to detect 3D-like accuracies in multifield structural problems
with very low computational costs. In the CUF framework, the axiomatic-asymptotic method (AAM) has been
recently proposed by the authors to investigate the influence of each unknown variable on the solution of a given
problem. Additionally, using the AAM, Best Theory Diagrams (BTD) have been obtained to read the minimum
number of terms of a refined model for a given accuracy. The BTD generates guidelines to develop and evaluate
structural models. In other words, via the BTD, a trade-off between accuracy and computational cost can be
made. In this paper, mechanical, thermal and electrical fields are considered and BTDs are presented for various
problems.

1 INTRODUCTION of layers, while, the LW scheme models each layer

Many engineering structures require multifield analy-
ses for their proper design. For instance, thermal and
mechanical loads and interaction thereof are important
for space vehicles and turbine blades. Piezoelectric
and mechanical loads are fundamental in smart struc-
tures.An accurate structural analysis of such structures
requires refined structural models to capture non-
classical effects. In particular, the paper presents plate
and shell models for multifield analysis and a tech-
nique to build the models to fit the given problems
precisely.
The refinement process of a plate or shell model,
referred to as 2D models, is aimed at the improve-
ment of the accuracy of classical models, such as
the Kirchhoff-Love (Kirchhoff 1850, Love 1927)
and Reissner-Mindlin theory (Reissner 1945, Mindlin
1951). The examples of refined 2D models are given
by Vlasov (1957), Hildebrand, Reissner, & Thomas
(1938), and the Zig-Zag model of Lekhnitskii (1968).
In the case of multilayered structures, models are
usually developed according to two approaches: the
Equivalent Single Layer (ESL) and the Layer Wise
(LW) schemes. According to the ESL scheme, the
number of the unknowns is not affected by the number
of the plate with its displacement unknowns, and,
therefore, the number of unknowns of the model is
related to the number of layers of the plate (Reddy
1997).
A review of methodologies for thermoelasticity can
be found in (Hetnarski & Eslami 2009). The 2D struc-
tural models for thermoelasticity have been developed
over the last decades for isotropic, anisotropic and het-
erogeneous structures (Tauchert 1991, Noor & Burton
1992, Murakami 1993, Argyris & Tenek 1997). Par-
ticular attention was paid to predictor-corrector pro-
cedures, the effect of temperature-dependence of the
material properties, and the sensitivity of the thermo-
mechanical response to variations in the material
parameters, and non-linear effects.
Electromechanical effects must be considered in
piezoelectric structures. Such systems are increas-
ingly used as sensors, actuators and energy harvesters
for various applications, including control and health-
monitoring. The 2D reference ESL structural models
for piezoelectric structures can be found in (Tiersten
1969, Mindlin 1972, Yang & Yu 1993). On the other
hand, an LW model for the electric potential cou-
pled with an ESL displacement field can be found in
(Mitchell & Reddy 1995).

3
 • • 6 2 CARRERA UNIFIED FORMULATION
• 6 •
• !:,. • • •
In the CUF, the displacement field for a 2D model can
.¥ Reduced
be written as
r
_/refined
model
If
0
0
T = 1, ... ' N +1 ( 1)
z
where the Einstein notation is assumed on the index

I
τ. u is the displacement vector (ux uy uz ). Fτ are the
so-called thickness expansion functions and uτ is the
Con tan!
number
vector of the generalized unknown displacements. In
of ESL, Fτ are defined on the overall thickness of the
uxl + zu x2 plate, while, in LW, for each k-layer. For ESL, Fτ can
zuv, + z3 uv4 be Mc-Laurin expansions of z, defined as Fτ = z τ−1 . In
U, 1 + ZU, 2 + Z2 U, 3 + Z4 U, 5 the following, the ESL models are indicated as EDN,
in which N is the expansion order. For instance, the
Figure 1. The Best Theory Diagram. ED3 displacement field is

U x = Ux 1 + Z Ux + z 2 U x + z 3 U x
2 3 4

This work makes use of the Carrera Unified Formu- Uy = Uy 1 + Z Uy + z2 Uy + z3 Uy

2 3 4 (2)
lation (CUF) to build refined 2D models (Carrera et al. U z = U z1 + Z U z + z 2 Uz + z 3 U z
2 3 4

2014). The CUF introduced a systematic approach to

develop any-order structural model via a few funda- The LW models can be obtained via Legendre polyno-
mental nuclei whose formal expressions do not depend mial expansions in each layer,
neither on the order of the model nor on the type
of expansions adopted to describe the unknown vari- uk = Ft · u~ + Fb · u~ + Fr · u~ = Fr u~ (3)
able fields (Carrera 2003). In particular, ESL, LW and T = t , b, r r = 2, 3, ... , N k = 1, 2, ... , NL
mixed variational formulations can be implemented
(Carrera et al. 2011). The CUF has been extensively where NL is the number of the layers. Subscripts
used for multifield analyses over the recent years. t and b correspond to the top and bottom surfaces
Reference works are those by Carrera (2002) and of the layer. Functions Fτ depend on the coordinate
Ballhause et al. (2005). ζk , −1 ≤ ζk ≤ 1. Fτ are linear combinations of the
In the CUF framework, the axiomatic-asymptotic Legendre polynomials,
method (AAM) has been recently proposed by the
authors to investigate the influence of each unknown Ft = Po"iP' Fb = Po;P1
variable on the solution of a given problem (Carrera & (4)
Fr = Pr - Pr- 2 r = 2, 3, ... , N
Petrolo 2010, Carrera & Petrolo 2011). In the AAM
the starting model is used with a full expansion of
In the following, the LW models are denoted by the
variables. The influence of each variable, or groups
acronym as LDN, where N is the expansion order. For
of variables, is evaluated by deactivating it. Only
instance, LD3 is
those variables exhibiting an influence are retained
and reduced models are built in which the number
of unknown variables is less or equal to the starting
full model. The method can be iterated to evaluate the (5)
influence of characteristic parameter such as thick-
ness or orthotropic ratios, similarly to an asymptotic
method. Recently, the AAM has been applied to mul- The ESL and LW descriptions can be used for mul-
tifield problems (Cinefra et al. 2015, Carrera et al. tifield variables, such as temperature or potential.
2015). A systematic use of CUF and AAM led to the For instance, the LW description of the temperature
definition of Best Theory Diagrams (BTD) in which, distribution is
for a given accuracy and problem, the minimum num-
ber of required unknown variables can be read, as &k(x, y, z) = Ft · B~(x , y) + Fr · B~(x , y) +
(6)
shown in Fig. 1. The BTD can be seen as a tool to eval- + Fb · B~(x , y) = F7 B~(x,y)
uate the accuracy and the computational efficiency of
any given structural model against the best available. where θτk are
The BTD for multifield problems has been recently
presented in (Cinefra et al. 2017). This paper is orga-
nized as follows: the CUF is introduced in Section 2, (7)
governing equation in Section 3, the AAM and BTD k
in Section 4. The results are presented in Section 5 and θ τ is the effective temperature distribution. The tem-
Conclusions in Section 6. perature distribution can be defined by solving the

4
conduction equation for a given temperature distri- where θ k (x, y, z) is the relative temperature distribution
bution over the lateral, top and bottom surfaces. The in a generic k layer referred to a reference temperature
approach proposed in Eq. (6) offers the possibility θe . The virtual variation of the strain energy is
to impose continuity of the temperature distribution
along the thickness direction. In (Carrera 2002), fur-
ther details on the temperature distribution evaluation (15)
can be found. On the other hand the assumed profiles
can be used, such as the linear one,
where stresses σ p and σ n are considered as the sum of
(8) the mechanical (H ) and thermal (T ) contributions,
k k
O"p = a-pH- a-pT
where h is the total thickness of the plate and the (16)
(T n = (T~H - (T~T
parameters θz0 and θ 0 are the imposed top and bottom
values. The constitutive equations for piezoelectric materials
In an electro-mechanical problem, the potential are
distribution can be defined as
u k = C kEk _ ekr E k
+ Fr <P~ + Fb<P~ =
c:!) k = Ft <P~ FT <P~
(9) JJk = ek Ek + ekE k
(17)
T = t, r, b r = 2, 3, ... , N
where D̃k is the dielectric displacement and Ek is
3 CONSTITUTIVE AND GOVERNING the electric field. ek is the matrix of the piezoelectric
EQUATIONS constants,

In this section, a brief overview of some of the con-

stitutive equations adopted for multifield problems (18)
are given. For a more comprehensive overview, books
from the authors can be referred to (Carrera et al. 2014,
Carrera et al. 2011). Linear strain-displacement rela- and εk is the matrix of the permittivity coefficients of
tions are assumed and strain components are grouped the k-layer,
into in-plane (p) and out-of-plane (n), components,

(10) (19)

For a pure mechanical case, stress components for

a generic layer k can be obtained by means of the Introducing the usual in-plane (p) and out-of-plane (n)
Hooke law, grouping,

(11)

The virtual variation of the strain energy is

(20)

The electric field Ek can be derived from the Maxwell

equations,

In the case of the uncoupled thermo-mechanical anal-

ysis, thermal stresses are given by where k is the electric potential. The virtual variation
of the strain energy is

Applying the thermal expansion coefficient vector α,

The governing equations are obtained substituting the
k _ { a k,
EpT- 1 a k2 , o} ek( x., y,z-
) _ aP
kek (l 4 ) geometrical relations, the constitutive equations and
E~T = {0, 0, an ek(x,y , z) = a~ek the variable assumptions via CUF in the variational

5
statements. The derivation is herein omitted for the Table 1. ED4 model with
sake of brevity; details can be found in the already uy3 inactive.
mentioned CUF works and books.
The governing equations in the case of pure-
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
mechanical analysis can be written as
~ ~ D. ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
(23)

and the boundary conditions on the edge k as

4 THE AXIOMATIC/ASYMPTOTIC METHOD
AND BEST THEORY DIAGRAMS

In the CUF framework, the axiomatic/asymptotic

where Pτdτ is the external load. The fundamental
nucleus of the stiffness matrix, Kdτs , is assembled
through the indexes τ and s, which consider the order
of the expansion in z for the displacements. kτsd is
the fundamental nucleus of the boundary conditions
deriving from the integration by parts of the PVD. The
explicit form of the fundamental nuclei can be found
in (Carrera 2003).
The governing equations for the thermo-mechanical
problem, that are
(25)
with the related boundary conditions are
Temperature is considered an external load and it is
assigned. The definition of the fundamental nuclei
kτs
Kuu kτs
, Kuθ and kτs
uu can be found in (Carrera &
Brischetto 2010).
The governing equations for the electro-mechanical
problem are:
(27)
method (AAM) has been recently developed to eval-
uate the influence of an unknown variable on a given
structural problem as we vary the problem charac-
teristics, e.g. thickness, orthotropic ratio, stacking
sequence, etc. Also, the AAM leads to the definition of
reduced models with a lower computational cost than
full models but with the same accuracy (Carrera &
Petrolo 2010, Carrera & Petrolo 2011). A typical AAM
analysis consists of the following steps:
1. Parameters, such as the geometry, BC, loadings,
materials and layer layouts, are fixed.
2. A starting theory is fixed (axiomatic part). That is,
the displacement field is defined; usually a theory
which provides 3D-like solutions is chosen and a
reference solution is defined.
3. The CUF is used to generate the governing equa-
tions for the theories considered.
4. The effectiveness of each term of the adopted
expansion is evaluated by measuring the error due
to its deactivation.
5. The most suitable structural model for a given
structural problem is then obtained discarding the
non-effective displacement variables.
A graphical notation is introduced to show the
results. It consists of a table with three lines, and
columns equal to the number of the variables used
in the expansion. For example, if an ED4 model
is considered with uy3 deactivated, the displacement
field is

with the boundary conditions, Ux = Ux, + Z U x2 + z3 U x4+ z 4 U x5

uy = uYI+ z uY2+ z 3 u y,+ z 4 U ys

ou%: u;; = u;; or Uz = U 21 + Z U z2 + z3 U z4+ z 4 U z 5 (28)

n krs u k + n kTs .pk = n krsu:k + n krs(j)k
uu T ue T uu T ue T

o<I>k : <I>;; = <i>';: or Such a displacement field is depicted by Table 1. The

eur
+n
n krs uk kTs .pk
eer
= n krsu:k + n kTs(j)k
eur eer
use of the AAM can be extended to all the possible
combinations of active/inactive variables of a given,
starting theory. Each reduced model can be related to
kτs kτs
The definition of the fundamental nuclei Kuu , Kue , the number of the active terms and its error computed
kτs kτs kτs kτs kτs kτs
Keu , Kee , uu , ue , eu and ee can be found in on a reference solution as reported in Fig. 1. The error
(Ballhause et al. 2005). values are reported on the abscissa, and the number
In the CUF, the adoption of the fundamental nucleus of active terms is reported on the ordinate. Each black
to assemble the problem matrices allows us set the dot represents a reduced refined model and its position
order and the type of the expansion as an input of the on the Cartesian plane is defined considering its error
analysis. In other words, the theory of structures is an and the number of the active terms. Also, the repre-
input of the analysis. sentation of the active/non-active terms is reported for

6
 Displacement Field
lhj u., u., u., u.,
u, u,, u,. u,
I
u~
u" u., u., u., u.,
' and Eq. (8), with (ttop , tbot ) equal to 1 and −1,
Figure 2. Generalized variables as genes in a genetic
algorithm.
some reduced models. Among all the models, it is pos-
sible to note that some of them present the lowest error
for a given number of active terms. These models are
labeled as 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, they represent a Pareto front for
the considered problems. The Pareto front is defined
in this work as the Best Theory Diagram. This curve
can be constructed for several problems, for exam-
ple considering several types of materials, geometries
and boundary conditions. Moreover, the information
reported in a BTD makes it possible to evaluate the
minimum number of terms, Nmin , used to achieve a
desired accuracy.
The BTD can be obtained via genetic algorithms in
which each structural theory is considered an individ-
ual. The genes are the terms of the expansion, and each
gene can be active or not active as in Fig. 2. Therefore,
each individual is described by the number of active
terms and its error computed on a reference solution.
Through these two parameters, it is possible to apply
the dominance rule in order to evaluate the individual
fitness. For each individual copies are created accord-
ing to its dominance, next, some mutations are applied
to vary the set of new individuals. The purpose of
this analysis is to find the individuals which belong
to the Pareto front, that is the subset of individuals not
dominated by the others.
5 RESULTS
First, a simply-supported multilayered plate is con-
sidered under a transverse pressure distribution, a
temperature distribution and an electric potential dis-
tribution, separately. For the mechanical case, the
pressure distribution is
(29)
where m and n are equal to 1, the pressure distribution
is applied to the top surface of the plate, and a = b = 1.
7
For the thermal case, temperature distribution defined
as in
ek= ekTsm. ( -
ffi1rXk) . (-
n1ryk)
- sm (30)
bk-
T
ak
respectively. For the piezoelectric case, two different
configurations are considered, the sensor and actuator
configurations. In the sensor case, a transverse pres-
sure is applied to the top surface of the plate and the
potential distribution is evaluated. The potential at the
top and bottom is set to zero. In the actuator case, a
potential distribution is applied to the plate, and the
value of the potential is set to 1 V at the top and to
0 V at the bottom. In the sensor case, the pressure is
assumed as in Eq. (29), while, in the actuator case, the
potential distribution is assumed as
- sin (m1r
<I> = <I> -----;- x ) sin (n1r
b y) (3 1)
where m = n = 1 and  is set equal to 1. The material
properties for the mechanical and thermal cases are
EL /ET = 25, GLT /ET = GTT /ET = 0.5, GLz /ET = 0.2,
ν = 0.25 and αL /αT = 1125, where E is the Young’s
modulus, G the shear modulus, ν the Poisson’s ratio
and α the coefficient of thermal expansion. Symbols
L and T denote the directions parallel and transverse
to the composite fibers, respectively. For the piezo-
electric case, the material properties of the laminated
layers are: E1 = 132.38 × 109 Pa, E2 = E3 = 10.756 ×
109 Pa, G12 = G13 = 5.6537 × 109 Pa, G23 = 3.606 ×
109 Pa, ν12 = ν13 = 0.24, ν23 = 0.49, ε11 = 3.098966 ×
10−11 C/Vm, ε22 = ε33 = 2.6562563 × 10−11 C/Vm.
The thickness of each layer is equal to h = 0.4 · hTOT .
The piezoelectric layers are made of PZT-4, their
properties are E1 = E2 = 81.3 × 109 Pa, E3 = 64.5 ×
109 Pa, ν12 = 0.329, ν13 = ν23 = 0.432, G44 = G55 =
25.6 × 109 Pa, G66 = 30.6 × 109 Pa, e31 = e32 = −5.20
C/m2 , e33 = 15.08 C/m2 , e24 = e15 = 12.72 C/m2 , ε11 /
ε0 = ε22 /ε0 = 1475, ε33 /ε0 = 1300 (ε0 = 8.854 ×
10−12 C/Vm). The thickness of each layer is equal
to h = 0.1 · hTOT . The BTDs reported in this work
are based on the solution computed using the LD4
model. In fact, the LD4 proved to agree excellently
with the elastic solutions (Carrera 2003, Carrera 2002,
Ballhause et al. 2005).
The ESL approach is considered, and the BTDs
for the ED4 model are given in Figs. 3 and 4 for
the thin and thick geometry, respectively. The results
suggest that the reduced refined models for the piezo-
electric case show a higher computational cost than
the reduced models for the mechanical and thermal
cases, since the variables of the electric potential are
retained. Models located on the BTD for both ther-
mal and mechanical cases detect the same accuracy
when a thin plate is considered, while the BTDs for
the piezoelectric case present a significant difference
between the sensor and actuator configuration. Since
the reference solution is obtained with an LD4 model,

Figure 3. BTDs for a/h = 100.
Figure 4. BTDs for a/h = 4.
Figure 5. BTD for the asymmetric composite shells,
Rβ /h = 4.
the minimum errors are larger than zero. In fact, the
LD4 offers a better accuracy than ED4.
Next, a composite shell is considered under a pure
mechanical load, see Eq. 29. The material properties
are EL /ET = 25, ν = 0.25, GLT /ET = GTT /ET = 0.5,
GLz /ET = 0.2 and the dimensions of the shell are
a = 4Rβ and b = 2πRβ. A 0◦ /90◦ stacking sequence
was considered. Figure 5 shows the BTD for stress
and displacement components. Significant differences
8
Table 2. BTDs for the asym-
metric composite shell, σαα
V !
Me/M = 9/15
Error
Me/M = 5/15
Error 8.4968 %
in the BTD for different outputs are observable. Table
2 shows some of the BTD models. In this case, the
FSDT is a BTD.
6 CONCLUSIONS
This paper presents the latest advances in the frame-
work of the Carrera Unified Formulation (CUF).
In particular, multifield problems for multilayered
plates and shells have been addressed. The CUF is
an established formulation to develop refined struc-
tural models via expansion functions. The order and
the type of the expansions are free parameters of the
analysis. In particular, Equivalent Single Layer (ESL)
and Layer-Wise (LW) approaches can be handled
straightforwardly.
In this work, a brief overview of the Axiomatic/
Asymptotic Method (AAM) has been given. The AAM
has been recently developed in the CUF framework and
has two main capabilities,
• A starting structural model is set, and the influence
of each unknown variable on a given structural prob-
lem is quantified as the problem characteristics vary
(e.g. thickness, orthotropic ratio, stacking sequence,
etc.). In other words, starting from an axiomatic
approach, asymptotic-like results can be obtained.
• Retrieving only the terms affecting the solution,
reduced models are built as accurate as the full
models but computationally more efficient.
The systematic use of the AAM has led to the intro-
duction of the Best Theory Diagram (BTD). A ‘best
theory’ is the one that, given a number of unknown
variables, provides the best accuracy or, for a given
accuracy, results in the minimum number of unknown
variables. In the BTD, all the best structural models
can be read. The BTD can be considered as the Pareto
Front of an optimization problem and provides guide-
lines to develop structural models. In fact, the BTD
provides the boundary of the trade-off between accu-
racy and computational costs. In other words, accuracy
cannot be increased and computational cost lowered
better than the BTD.
The results show that the combined use of CUF
and AAM provides insights related to the decision
making in structural model choices and developments.
Another random document with
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 One day one of my friends came to tell me that the commandant
wanted to have my daughter and myself out of the place, but that he
could not find any pretext for sending us away. I used sometimes to
go to my farm to see how things were getting on there, but so many
“khakis” were about that I never knew how to come away quickly
enough.
The village had been occupied for about two months when one
day I saw to my dismay that the enemy were burning things
wholesale. That same evening they withdrew from the village.
A few days after they had left, our people came back with big
commandoes.
A week after the “khakis” had gone out of Lichtenburg General De
la Rey came back to the village, but after spending only a day or two
with us, he started again for the Rustenburg district.
Then General Douglas returned and occupied the village once
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English had got all our cattle, they went off, and we could again
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I went to the place where the cattle used to be kept, and there I
found the shepherd waiting for me.[3] He had been able to recover
one or two hundred of our sheep, so that I and my children still had
something left to us to live upon.
[3] The shepherds are generally Kaffirs who live on the place.
The following statement shows strikingly in its simplicity how their
own Kaffirs remained attached to the Boers in spite of all the so-
called “barbarous treatment.”
Shortly afterwards General De la Rey returned to Lichtenburg.
But General Douglas had not moved very far off, and as soon as
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that they were in their 20,000 after De la Rey, and that this time he
would never manage to escape.
I said again, “Very well, you catch him if you can, but be good to
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Shortly afterwards Lord Methuen entered the village and took up
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The next morning I started off, but when I got there Lord Methuen
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hope that you will not take it away from me.” He gave me his hand
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went home again. Lord Methuen remained in Lichtenburg for a week.
When the place was once more empty General De la Rey came
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There was a big fight that day not very far from the village.
Towards nightfall the burghers beat a retreat under General Lemmer,
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The following day the English commandant came to see me. He
had a hard task before him, he told me; he had been ordered to burn
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my house were burned down.
“I shall leave one of the buildings standing for you.”
 I thanked him, and I said to him, “Burn them down, burn the others
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Then came another trial. One afternoon, at about three o’clock,
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“And what about my other children then?” I asked.
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it five hundred times more if it please the Lord to spare him. I am
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our cause, every step you take against us makes it one hundredfold
stronger. Where only one now calls for vengeance, hundreds shall
come to be avenged. He can send me wherever he likes, but it will
not do you any good. I never thought to be so badly treated in the
Queen’s name. I could not have believed that because you cannot
get the better of our men you would set to work against their
women.”
 “Well,” he said, “I must not talk too much, for we have very little
time.” With that he left me and went to Lord Methuen; but he soon
came back again, and then said that I had not been ordered to leave
the place, but that it would be better for me if I were to do so.
“No, I do not think that it would be better for me to go away from
my own land. I would choose far rather to stay and suffer with my
own people than go away.”
“Very well, ask General De la Rey, then, what you had better do.”
“No, I shall ask him nothing of the kind. He has his own work, and I
shall decide and make shift for myself.”
“Very good; then I shall send and ask Commandant Vermaas to
take you away from here.”
“I can send one of my boys if you will only give him a pass through
your troops. Then he can go to Commandant Vermaas and ask him
to send me a span of oxen so that I can get away from here.” This
was agreed to. Later on it was said that the officers had decided to
let me stay on in the village, but that I had refused to do so, and had
declared that I was going away as soon as my oxen arrived.
They kept coming to see me the whole time, and were always
talking about the war, saying that the Boers had far better give it up.
I used to reply, Yes, it would be a good thing to see an end to the
war; but it is no small matter for a people to give up their country,
and that it would cost them a very great deal before they could put
an end to it.
I asked them, “How strong are the forces that the English have
sent to South Africa to fight us?”
“Nearly 300,000 strong,” was the officer’s answer.
“We have about 60,000 Transvaalers and Free Staters,” I said,
“and we have been fighting with you now for over fourteen months;
how can you possibly expect that we are going to give up our arms
of our own free will? No! You will have a great deal of trouble before
you bring that about.”
 I was waiting meanwhile in great anxiety for the coming of my
oxen, so that I should be able to make a start. It was five days more
before they arrived, for the oxen were kept far away from the village.
I got everything ready in the meantime to be able to go off as soon
as they came, for I dreaded every moment that a fresh order would
come and that I should not be able to go. At last the oxen arrived.
When our friends saw that they were there, they came hastening
from every side to wish us God-speed. It was a hard thing for our
friends to see us sent away in this manner to wander without a
home. I said that no, I was beginning my travels willingly, but all
unknowing where they were going to end or what the future had in
store for me. One thing I knew, and that was, if all my friends were
left behind, my Heavenly Father would yet be with me.
I hastened to pack everything into the waggon, and prepared to
start on my pilgrimage.
On Friday, December 1, 1900, I drove out of Lichtenburg after
taking leave of my friends. The oxen were put to the waggon; the
children got into it. I had still a couple of milch cows that I could take
with me. I and my daughter followed behind in my carriage. It was
raining hard as I left my village behind, not knowing whether ever I
should step foot in it again. Lord Methuen’s order had been that I
was to go ten miles away from the village and not to come nearer.
Next day I came to the place where Commandant Vermaas and his
commando were staying. He told me that I could go to his farm and
remain there as long as I liked; but as my husband’s work then lay
for the most part in the Rustenburg district, I preferred to go on,
instead of staying at the commandant’s farm. So I went from there to
Kafferspan, a place about eighteen miles from the village of
Lichtenburg. When General De la Rey heard that I had been sent out
of the village he sent my son Coos to come to fetch me. Then I
heard that on the 3rd of December 1900 they had captured a convoy
near Magaliesberg and had struck a good blow at the English. I said,
“That is right! It is not only I who have been in adversity; they too”
(the English) “have had their reverses.”
I went from there to Zuurfontein, a place belonging to Mr
Kritzinger, not far from Rustenburg; he gave me a house to live in.
The people there were all kind and friendly. After I had been staying
with Mr Kritzinger about a week, General De la Rey arrived with his
staff; it was a great delight to see them all again. It was a good thing
for them, also, that I was out of the village. But after having remained
a few days they had to go off again to join the commando. Where I
was living was not very far from the English camp; it was a
mountainous district, and we could hear the cannon shots distinctly
every day. On the 13th of December General De la Rey took
General Clement’s laager, at a place called Nooitgedacht, behind the
hills, and for a short time after that there was no more fighting. As
Christmas was coming nearer and nearer, I had been wondering
what sort of a Christmastide it would be for me; but as the English
still kept quiet, General De la Rey and his staff came back to us
again. They arrived just the day before Christmas, and once more I
had the great joy of having my own dear ones round me. There were
a great many people on the farm where I was then staying, and on
Christmas Day many friends came together there. As soon as
Christmas was over they all went away again to the commando; but,
as there was nothing to be done that week, our people all returned
for the New Year, and, owing to this, we were also able to spend a
happy, though quiet, New Year’s Day together. A little while later they
heard that many English laagers were trekking up, and that the place
where I was staying lay right in their way, so that I had to pack up
everything in the greatest haste ready for flight. The day was just
over when I got this news, and we had to pack the waggon in the
dark. Very early the next morning we left the farm behind us.
As I had some cattle and sheep this time to take with me, and as
we did not exactly know which way the English were coming, we
could not think where to move to for safety. After going some
distance, we waited to hear from which side the laagers were
coming. In a day or two we heard that the English troops had gone
back again, and so I went back also to the farm belonging to Mr
Kritzinger, whose family had accompanied me in my flight. I stayed
with them there for two months, and often heard the booming of the
cannon among the mountains.
 Mrs De la Rey beside her waggon.
For nineteen months after that I wandered round in my waggon,
and, just as one gets attached to the room in which one sleeps, so
did I grow to love my waggon. Many a stormy night, when it was
blowing and raining, have my Kaffirs had a hard job to get the
sailcloth covering firmly fixed, so that the wind should not blow it right
away. Over many a hill and across many a river this waggon has
taken me safely. For in my darkest and most anxious nights never
did I fail to put my trust in the Lord, and never did His guidance
forsake me. Sometimes in my journeyings I would come to houses
which had not been completely destroyed, and where, perhaps, one
room would still be under shelter; then I would have it cleaned
quickly; we would stay there during the heat of the day. Sometimes I
would come to a place where I had meant to spend a few days, and
then at once would have to leave in all haste and continue my flight.
One day we came to Mr Basson’s place (in the Lichtenburg district),
and, almost the same moment, General De la Rey and his staff
arrived from the Zwartruggen (in the district of Rustenburg). When
he came up with my waggon he was tired out, and, after having
some dinner, he got into the waggon to lie down a little and rest. But
he had hardly been there half-an-hour when a man came hurrying
up, crying, “Why are you all so quiet here? The “khakis” are upon
us!” And there were the “khakis,” just half-an-hour’s distance on
horseback from my waggon. There was no commando that could
have turned them; General De la Rey and his staff flew to saddle
their horses, and jumped up and rode out to see what the “khakis”
were doing. When they (General De la Rey and his staff) had ridden
up the rise they saw that the English troops were drawing back.
Then I had to fly still farther. A bare country lay before me to be
crossed, and I thought that this time I should never be able to get
away safely, but we found afterwards that though the “khakis” had
been so near us they had had no idea of it, and we managed to
come away safe and sound. The same thing often happened, and it
seemed wonderful that I was not taken prisoner. As they had blocked
up all the roads with their blockhouses, it became so difficult to get
through that I had to go in the direction of Harts River, a bare and
unpleasant tract of country. As we went on we found thousands of
dead sheep lying about, killed by the English. They had not been
able to keep up with the march, and had been driven together and
slaughtered, and there they were scattered, some shot, others cut
down, and others with their heads taken off by a sabre cut. Many a
time did I repeat, “Ah, this is indeed a cruel war! What bitter suffering
has it not caused both to man and beast!” Often I have thought,
“What is going to come out of all these trials and troubles!” Even
when I looked at the comet I wondered what it could portend that it
should appear three mornings running in the east, and then again
every evening in the west, during a whole month—this was in the
months of June and July 1901. As I was journeying on the open veldt
I could see this star plainly every evening; and when this sign was no
longer to be seen, then another made its appearance. Every evening
after sunset this other token appeared in the sky; a bright red
radiance filled the air, and would remain visible for about three-
quarters of an hour.

“Whither, pilgrim—whither art thou flying?

We are driven onward by the enemy’s sword.
 A terrible sword are the guns and the cannon,
When man is standing on his defence;
But the cruel sword of fire and of hunger,
Cutting its way through the heart of a mother,
Is more terrible still than the booming of cannon.
The keen-edged sword of destruction and terror,
Piercing the hearts of Africa’s children,
Has taught them a lesson they shall not forget.”

I thought that the enemy were now so far away that we should be
able to spend some time where we now found ourselves.
General De la Rey fell ill once more and had to join me and take to
his bed. Early one morning I had just got up when suddenly we
heard the sound of firing. The English were then only one hour’s
distance from us; they had covered a great deal of ground in the
night, and had been for five or six hours in the saddle, hoping to
catch the burghers at Tafelkop. General De la Rey sprung out of bed.
The horses were saddled in a moment, and off they rode. The firing
was coming nearer and nearer. I thought to myself, “I am in for the
fighting to-day,” but all the same I began packing everything into the
cart as quickly as possible. Very soon I was in flight once more. It
looked as if things were going very badly, for all round me people
were hurrying as hard as they could. It began to rain. The waggons
and the mule carts came tearing past, and it began to look as if I
were going to be left behind. It was raining heavily. The booming of
the cannon sounded closer and closer, and the danger became
greater every moment. Then suddenly my waggon stuck fast in the
mud, and I could not go on any farther. It kept on raining, and the
burghers kept coming on in greater numbers. They stopped by my
waggon and tried to drag it out of the mud. The fighting kept on, and
I told them to go away and leave me before they too were forced to
share my fate. “No,” they said; “that we will never do. What would the
General say if we were to leave you here and the ‘khakis’ were to
take you?” The oxen would not pull any more because they stood in
so much water. Then the people took hold of the wheels and they
managed to drag it out. After the waggon had stuck fast I went on
farther in the spider. There were now so many waggons and
carriages all close together that it looked like a big commando. In the
afternoon we stopped to rest; the rain cleared up for a little and we
had something to eat. Very soon came the order to get ready to start
again. We had not gone very far when the waggon in front remained
leaning against a steep bank, over which it had to climb. It was
raining heavily again. I thought, “How will things go with us to-day,
we have so many hindrances, and the ‘khakis’ keep on advancing?”
However, there were a good many burghers, and they helped to get
the waggons across. My spider also came to a standstill against the
rocks, so that they (the burghers) had to drag it out. We were in
danger, and yet we really enjoyed ourselves so much that time went
quickly. It took several hours before all the waggons had got through.
Then we drove on more quickly, and by sunset we came to where
we meant to spend the night. I drove to a house to wait till all the
waggons had arrived. There was so much water round the house
that it was impossible to tell where there were ditches or hollows.
When driving towards the waggons I went into a deep ditch and my
driver was thrown off. I and my little son remained sitting in the
carriage; the horses started off. They swerved towards the side of
the house; fortunately there were some burghers there who ran in
front and stopped them. It was already dark. I suggested that they
had better be unharnessed; I would walk to the waggon. Just then
my husband came up with his riding horse Bokkie for me to ride to
the waggon. However, Bokkie’s back was too narrow; as sure as I
climbed up, off I would slip. Then his other saddle-horse came up,
and off we rode to the waggons. All were there now, and very
hungry; it was dark and damp, but luckily, with some dry wood, we
soon had big fires going to prepare food. The enemy had not come
much nearer. After a good meal we went to sleep, and early next
morning I went on again with the waggons. The men folk joined the
commando, and at Rietfontein, where I had made up my mind to
spend some time, I went into the school, then empty. There were a
good many people in the place, and one could get vegetables and
fruit. But I had been there for only about a week when suddenly a
large number of English troops entered the Rustenburg district
where we were. Off I went again in great haste, this time to the
Lichtenburg district. I had to drive hard to get past. I was lucky, and
came safely through. Passing Lichtenburg, I came to Badenhorst,
and found a deserted shop in which I could take up my abode. Here
also we had kind friends, who took care to keep us supplied with
vegetables. One evening, a fortnight later, just as I had gone to bed,
the report was spread that the “khakis” were coming. It was very
dark and cold, but I was soon up and dressed and had the waggons
packed, and off we went again on the road. Next morning it seemed
true that the “khakis” were behind us; once again we drove past
Lichtenburg. Now there seemed nothing left for me but to fly with all
possible speed to the Zwartruggens. When I got there Mr Joubert
came on with me and brought me far into the mountains. “Here,” he
said, “no ‘khakis’ had found their way yet.” And there I had to stay.
There were many big trees growing, and the Marico River looked
lovely as it flowed along; it was a pleasant spot to stay in. I made an
oven so as to be able to bake my bread. I set up my hut in the cool
shade of the trees, where all looked so beautiful and green, and
made a stable for my horses with some trees and a kraal for the
sheep, just as if I were destined to live here a long time.
My soap was all finished and I began much to feel the need of it to
keep my children clean.
I was advised to burn some vogelsent[4] to make soap out of the
ashes. I gathered some “vogels,” had them burned, and succeeded
in making some good soap. The children wandered on the mountain
side searching for wild honey. I thought that if the “khakis” did not
worry me, I should remain here for a long time. But after a fortnight
my husband turned up, and said that it was too cold to live out on the
veldt, and we went back to the farm belonging to Mrs Lombard. From
there General De la Rey and his staff went on to the Free State,
where they were to meet President Steyn and General De Wet. I had
been here only twelve days when early one morning the cannon
suddenly began to make such a threatening noise that I hastened to
pack up my belongings and fled away once more. At Drinkfontein I
thought that I would wait and find out where the “khakis” were
moving to. But soon I heard again the roaring of the cannon. At that
moment I was making some candles; water and fat were both hot. It
was high time to be on our way, and I said, “Get ready and make a
start; but I must somehow or other finish my work.” The oxen were
not by the waggon, so that it was some little time before everything
was ready; and I had finished my candles when the waggon was
prepared to start. Then we were again flying as hard as we could
through the Lichtenburg district across the Harts River. It is not a
pleasant country to wander in; there are no woods or shady trees;
and as soon as the “khakis” had gone back, back I returned also, to
try to find better headquarters. And so the time passed till General
De la Rey returned. Then he went away again, back to the
Wolmaransstad district. Meanwhile I kept wandering around.
Suddenly we heard that many of the enemy’s laagers were
advancing together towards Klerksdorp. I went on some distance
farther, and then from all sides the people began to hurry onwards,
so that the flight was now beginning in earnest. The troops were
advancing in great force. We fled in the direction of Makouwenkop
and then were joined again by General De la Rey. At last the Boer
commandoes managed to get through, so that they got behind the
English. Then we had to fly as hard as we could so as to keep in
front. Some people went back that night, hoping to break through the
English troops. They said that I ought to go with them; but I said,
“No, I shall go forward, and I shall see if I cannot escape that way.”
[4] Vogelsent.—Lumps of resin that exude from certain trees.
When we came to the Vaal River we were forced to turn about. We
took another way back. After driving all day, we stopped for a little.
We had to get food ready as quickly as possible. It was very dark;
but later the moon began to shine. We fled on in great anxiety,
knowing that at any moment the “khakis” might be upon us. My
husband said that it would be too bad if they were to take me
prisoner when he was near the waggon, for he would have to fight
then, and to leave me to myself. I said, “Nay, do not let that disturb
you; do what you can to escape when they come; the Lord has
always preserved me until now, and He will continue to do so.” At
midnight we stopped for a little to let the oxen take a rest; but after
an hour or two we pressed forward again in good earnest. Bokkie
was saddled and marched behind the waggon, and all were ready to
meet the “khakis.” We hurried on; it was near the break of day, and I
thought to myself how grateful I should be to the Lord if it pleased
Him to guide the course of the night so that I might not be taken. It
grew light and the sun began to shine. All was quiet and we stopped
to rest. Then it was reported that the “khakis” had gone past us.
We were all very happy, and after we had had something to eat,
and had taken a little rest, we went once more on our way. It was
Saturday, and we hoped to be able to spend Sunday in peace. When
we had gone on again, I sat in my waggon and felt very thankful that
this time I had again escaped with my freedom. And then the words
came into my head, “Offer your thanks unto the Lord, and call upon
the name of the Almighty.” “Yes,” I thought, “that is what I have done
in my need; praise be unto the Lord that He has preserved me from
falling into the hands of mine enemy. The good God has saved me
now and many a time before.”
On Sunday we found ourselves in Brakspruit, and there we spent
a peaceful Sabbath day: on Monday we set out for Wolmaransstad,
there we found our houses in ruins. It was dreary to return and find
the place in such a plight.
A little way from Wolmaransstad we went to Mr Bezuidenhout’s
farm and found that his house was fortunately still intact. We were
able to bake bread there and make preparations for our next flight.
After remaining there a week we went back to the Lichtenburg
district. At Malgasfontein I found refuge in a house whose owners
had been taken by the “khakis.” As I had a good number of oxen with
me, and it was raining just enough, I had a lot of mealies sown there,
for we were constantly doing whatever we could to keep things
going. Everybody sowed and planted wherever possible. The
“khakis” might destroy as much as they liked, the Boers were still full
of courage.
I had great difficulty at that time to keep things straight; as I have
many children it grew extremely difficult to keep them all clean. Soap
was still very scarce; I could not get more anywhere. As far as
clothes were concerned I was happy as long as they were only
clean. A man told me he had scraped off some deposit of saltpetre
from a wall at Schoonspruit and had made good soap. As soon as
possible I got a bag of it and also made some very good soap, so
that I had not to worry about that any longer.
After we had been here about three weeks General De la Rey
came back from the Zwartruggens after the defeat of Colonel Van
Donop, which took place at Kleinfontein on the 24th of October 1901.
It was on the 24th of October 1901, the very day that we had been
married for twenty-five years, that a terrible battle was fought, in
which many people were killed or wounded, and among them one
more good friend of ours, Commandant Kritzinger, and his son, both
of whom were killed. So that we had on this day, instead of a silver
wedding feast, a terrible shedding of blood. There were great losses
on both sides. But the burghers were now, however, well supplied
again with clothes and other things which they had been needing
badly. We had made up our minds to stay here, when suddenly
came the report that the troops were advancing. We made a hurried
start in the direction of Harts River, and went on from there till past
the Zoutspannen. When the enemy had gone off in another direction
back we went again slowly all along the Harts River. Whenever we
thought that we were going to be left in peace for a little while, we
would find that the English troops were coming in such numbers that
we would have to go on trekking backwards and forwards without
any respite. With the approach of Christmas things grew quieter. I
went to Doornfontein, Badenhorst’s place. The houses had been
injured but not quite destroyed, so that I was able to make use of
one during the time that I remained.
My people were all with me; we spent a pleasant Christmas. Still,
we were not very far from Klerksdorp, where there were so many
“khakis” that the day after Christmas we had to begin our march
again. A few days later I got a message telling me to turn back to
Doornfontein; and there we all met again and spent the New Year.
That was in 1901. The day after New Year’s Day there were so many
“khakis” about that I had to fly past Lichtenburg and take refuge in
the Zwartruggens. Putfontein, where I next found myself, was utterly
destroyed and burnt down. As I was greatly concerned because my
people had no bread with them, I wandered round the desolate place
hoping to find an oven which had not been destroyed. All the ovens
had been broken down, but at last I found an attempt at one that the
poor women had set up and used for preparing bread. I said, “It does
not look of much use, still I shall try what I can do.” It was late in the
evening and rain was falling. There was no wood to be got, but I
went on with my breadmaking, and the boy (a Kaffir) had to try and
make a fire somehow or other. He was a very sharp boy, and he
succeeded in heating the oven.
General Kemps had his laager in the same place. In the evening
all the burghers came together, and they asked me if I would join in
their worship. “With pleasure,” I said. It was then quite dark. I went to
the laager and we had a short service, and after that sang songs out
of the “Kinderharp.” It was so pleasant that I quite forgot to bake my
bread. We also sang beautiful hymns that they themselves had
composed, so that I had a very pleasant evening. I hurried to the
oven, where I found that the biscuit had risen. It seemed as if the
oven were not hot enough, and yet I could not get any more fuel for
it. I put all the bread in and thought “let it bake itself as best it can.” I
waited till I thought that it was ready and then I sent Sampson, the
boy, to bring it out of the oven. He came back with it and it looked
still as if it were quite raw. However, it was always something to eat. I
went to sleep. Next morning I had hoped to be able to spend a
peaceful Sunday. A little way from my waggon were some big trees,
and as many burghers were there, we all agreed to meet under the
trees to hold our service. I and my children were there and many
burghers; but as all had not arrived we waited a while until the leader
said he would go on with the service, and then the people would
come fast enough. After we had sung he began to speak to us, but it
did not look as if any more people were coming. We were some
distance from the waggons and could see that there everyone was
hurrying backwards and forwards. I thought that the old man did not
seem very much inclined to put a stop to his service, but things
looked to me so grave that I said that we must really go to see what
was happening. We hurried back to the waggons, and very soon we
could hear the firing. I started off as quickly as possible. Very soon
many people in their waggons were keeping up with mine. We fled
for some distance and then sent out scouts a little way back. General
De la Rey with his staff came up. It was he who had been under that
heavy firing; a mark was on his back where a bullet had whizzed
past. They had all escaped unhurt and were very hungry and tired. It
was then that the bread I had baked the night before served in good
stead. They ate some, and that same evening they had to go back. I
was thus able still to supply them with bread. I went on to the
Zwartruggens this time; I did not want to go so far into the mountains
as it was beginning to be very warm there. On the slopes of the
mountains large trees were growing. I set up my tent in the shade.
There was fruit to be had: my children were happy.
Then I heard that the enemy were coming with their blockhouses
towards Lichtenburg. Then I knew I must go out of the mountains; I
did not want to get blocked up. And we went away again, after
having been a week there.
At Duikfontein I found large numbers of cattle and sheep that our
people had brought through the lines. General Kemp’s commando
had succeeded in doing this and in bringing cattle to other districts
also. I was still waiting there when General De la Rey arrived with his
staff. By that time I felt quite rested. He said that it was not
necessary for me to go at once to Rustenburg. So we merely went to
a place not very distant. A day or two later there were again so many
“khakis” gathered in Lichtenburg that we did not dare stay longer, as
it was only three hours’ distance from the village. We went from
there to some untilled ground belonging to us, which we kept for the
cattle, two and a half hours away from Lichtenburg. It was a good
neighbourhood for fruit; there was plenty of water, and not very
distant was a large fruit farm. We hoped thus to be able to stay for a
while. We sent the waggon to get fruit, and we set up our tent under
the cool trees.
 “The picture of my wandering life”.
And here you have the picture of my wandering life. When I could
set up the tent under shady trees and cover the floor with green
grass, then I felt thoroughly happy and content. Often when in such a
good place I thought to myself, “If only I could stay here quietly for
some time how happy and pleasant it would be!” And sometimes I
had the good fortune to be able to stay for two days or a week in
such a spot. But at other times it would happen that just as I had got
everything in good order, then the “khakis” would be upon us and
everything would have to be taken down quickly to make a fresh
start. Often we fled until the middle of the night, and when we could
stop to rest it would be so dark that it was impossible to see one’s
hands before one’s eyes. Yet the tent would have to be put up before
we could get to sleep.
When I saw the bright sun shining in the morning, often I thought,
“How much pleasanter the sunlight is than the darkness; what joy will
it be for me when the sun of peace is shining for me again!” Then
again I would come to a whole district where not a tree or cool spot
was to be found. The only cool place would be just under the
waggon, on the ground, and that was so uncomfortable that I could
not help sometimes crying out, “Why should I have to suffer so
grievously?” but the next moment I would think, “After the bitter
comes the sweet.” When I left my house and went into Lichtenburg
to live in the village, because I felt so lonely on my farm, I thought I
was going to stay there until the war should come to an end. I never
imagined that I should never set foot in my house again. I was
always particular to keep my house neat and clean; it was the
greatest pleasure I had to keep my home in good order. I used to
think sometimes, “Perhaps it is not right that I should think so much
of my house,” and yet I could not help it. A pretty home on a farm,
with abundance of cattle and all that is needful, always seemed to
me the happiest life. When I was wandering over the veldt with a
tent, and especially when I came to dusty and sandy places, I kept
thinking all the time of my house, so clean and so cool. The day they
told me that it had been destroyed I could not keep my tears back. It
was so hard out on the veldt and I had longed so often for my house;
now I had to hear that it had been broken up and razed to the
ground.
But I told myself quickly that I must not weep. “Why should I be
better off than all my fellow-sufferers whose houses had also been
broken up or burned down?”
I went back again, this time to Gestoptefontein. That evening
General De la Rey was in the neighbourhood, but I knew nothing of
his movements nor he of mine. But he arrived the next morning, for
the English were now closing up on every side. I got breakfast ready,
and after the men had had something to eat, off they had to go
again, this time to trek up against Methuen. I remained in
Gestoptefontein so as to be able to find out where the troops were
moving; and it was soon reported to me that they were coming in my
direction. These were the troops from Klerksdorp, so there we were
again, exposed to the danger of being surrounded. So many of us
came trekking on that we kept getting into one another’s path; but
we could only say, “The more the merrier,” and go on without losing
courage. “Now we should have to go to Waagkraal,” said everybody.
I said, “Very well, the place has a good name, and so we can venture
it.” It was a very dark night when we reached there. We were all
hungry, and had first of all to get our food ready. After that we went
to sleep, and early the next morning a couple of hundred of our
burghers arrived also.
They were all going nearer now to see what they could do against
the English forces, but there were so many troops they could not tell
where to begin.
Most of them went on towards Methuen’s laager to see what they
could find to do there. The enemy’s troops moved forward to meet
them. Our burghers were now in Pretorius’s place, where I had been
staying quite lately; the English army was coming up along the Harts
River.
I was now so far from the Boer laager that I began to fear that if
the English drove them away I should certainly fall into the hands of
the enemy. We waited in great anxiety to hear what would be the
result of the battle. The country was very bare and exposed just
there, and as the troops had many guns with them it was dreadful to
think of the fighting. Yet on the evening of the 1st of March there
came a report that the laager was taken and that Lord Methuen had
been wounded. I could not believe that Lord Methuen was really
wounded. The following morning I felt a great wish to pay a visit to
the laager. I had my horses harnessed and started. I had to drive a
good way—it seemed to me for nearly four hours—and although I
had wanted to go back the same day to my waggons, I found it
would be too late to do so. I arrived at the laager in the afternoon,
and there I found an enormous crowd of men and animals. I asked
my husband if really Lord Methuen were here. “Yes,” he answered,
“it is the man who sent you out of Lichtenburg.” “Then I shall go and
see him,” I said. I went with my daughter, and we found him,
quartered with a few tents and waggons, a little distance from the
laager. When I got there, one of our people, a man called Tom, said
that he did not want to see any visitors. Yes, that I could well
understand, that it was not pleasant for him to see the Boers. All the
same, when he heard that I was there, he said that I might come in—
that he would like to see me. I went into his tent; there lay the great,
strong man wounded above the knee, right through the bone. When I
had come in he begged me to forgive him for all the annoyance he
had caused me, and he asked if I had suffered much discomfort from
all that running away. “No,” I said, “it all went much better than I had
expected. I did not even have to do my best to escape from falling
into your hands.”
“Oh,” said he, “I have done my best to catch you.” And so we
“chaffed” each other. As it was a difficult position for both of us, I
asked him if his leg were hurting him very much. He said, “No, not
very much.”
“Then it won’t be a good thing for us,” I said, “if your leg gets cured
so quickly, then you will come and shoot at us again.”
He laughed and said, “No, I am going away, and I will not shoot at
you any more.”
Then he told me all about Lichtenburg, and how things were going
there, and he said that my houses were still unharmed.
I said, “But my dwelling-house has been destroyed.”
“Oh, yes,” he said, “that had to be broken down. General De la
Rey might have been coming to it some fine morning and firing at me
out of it. That was why it had to be broken down.”
Then he told me how glad he was to be able to go back to
Klerksdorp, and he asked me to let the telegram to his wife be sent
off as quickly as possible.
Then, as I also wanted to send a telegram to my children in
Pretoria, I told him that he must take good care of it and forward it,
so that they too should be sure to get it. Yes, he said, he would not
fail to do so. And he was true to his word; for when I met my children
later they said they had received it.
Then it grew late and it was time to return. I wished him a speedy
recovery. When I came to the laager they gave me one of the
waggons which they had taken from the enemy to sleep in. It was
late and I had to see to our dinner. But everything seemed in such a
muddle among all these menfolk; I did not know where to lay my
hand upon what I wanted.