Bubble-Enriched Smoothed Finite Element Methods for Nearly-Incompressible Solids

in Computer Modeling in Engineering and Sciences (2021), 127(2), 411-436

This work presents a locking-free smoothed finite element method (S-FEM) for the simulation of soft matter modelled by the equations of quasi-incompressible hyperelasticity. The proposed method overcomes ... [more ▼]

This work presents a locking-free smoothed finite element method (S-FEM) for the simulation of soft matter modelled by the equations of quasi-incompressible hyperelasticity. The proposed method overcomes well-known issues of standard finite element methods (FEM) in the incompressible limit: the over-estimation of stiffness and sensitivity to severely distorted meshes. The concepts of cell-based, edge-based and node-based S-FEMs are extended in this paper to three-dimensions. Additionally, a cubic bubble function is utilized to improve accuracy and stability. For the bubble function, an additional displacement degree of freedom is added at the centroid of the element. Several numerical studies are performed demonstrating the stability and validity of the proposed approach. The obtained results are compared with standard FEM and with analytical solutions to show the effectiveness of the method. [less ▲]

A stochastic Galerkin cell-based smoothed finite element method (SGCS-FEM)

in International Journal of Computational Methods (2019), 17(8),

In this paper, the cell based smoothed finite element method is extended to solve stochastic partial diff erential equations with uncertain input parameters. The spatial field of Young's moduli and the ... [more ▼]

In this paper, the cell based smoothed finite element method is extended to solve stochastic partial diff erential equations with uncertain input parameters. The spatial field of Young's moduli and the corresponding stochastic results are represented by Karhunen-Lo eve expansion and polynomial chaos expansion, respectively. The Young's Modulus of structure is considered to be random for stochastic static as well as free vibration problems. Mathematical expressions and the solution procedure are articulated in detail to evaluate the statistical characteristics of responses in terms of static displacements and free vibration frequencies. The feasibility and eff ectiveness of the proposed SGCS-FEM method in terms of accuracy and lower requirement on the mesh size in the solution domain over that of conventional FEM for stochastic problems are demonstrated by carefully chosen numerical examples. From the numerical study, it is inferred that the proposed framework is computationally less demanding without compromising accuracy. [less ▲]

ADVANCES IN GEOMETRY INDEPENDENT APPROXIMATIONS

Scientific Conference (2019, April 11)

We present recent advances in geometry independent field approximations. The GIFT approach is a generalisation of isogeometric analysis where the approximation used to describe the field variables no ... [more ▼]

We present recent advances in geometry independent field approximations. The GIFT approach is a generalisation of isogeometric analysis where the approximation used to describe the field variables no-longer has to be identical to the approximation used to describe the geometry of the domain. As such, the geometry can be described using usual CAD representations, e.g. NURBS, which are the most common in the CAD area, whilst local refinement and meshes approximations can be used to describe the field variables, enabling local adaptivity. We show in which cases the approach passes the patch test and present applications to various mechanics, fracture and multi-physics problems. [less ▲]

A one point integration rule over star convex polytopes

in Computers and Structures (2019), 215

In this paper, the recently proposed linearly consistent one point integration rule for the meshfree methods is extended to arbitrary polytopes. The salient feature of the proposed technique is that it ... [more ▼]

In this paper, the recently proposed linearly consistent one point integration rule for the meshfree methods is extended to arbitrary polytopes. The salient feature of the proposed technique is that it requires only one integration point within each n-sided polytope as opposed to 3n in Francis et al. (2017) and 13n integration points in the conventional approach for numerically integrating the weak form in two dimensions. The essence of the proposed technique is to approximate the compatible strain by a linear smoothing function and evaluate the smoothed nodal derivatives by the discrete form of the divergence theorem at the geometric center. This is done by Taylor’s expansion of the weak form which facilitates the use of the smoothed nodal derivatives acting as the stabilization term. This translates to 50% and 30% reduction in the overall computational time in the two and three dimensions, respectively, whilst preserving the accuracy and the convergence rates. The convergence properties, the accuracy and the efficacy of the one point integration scheme are discussed by solving few benchmark problems in elastostatics. [less ▲]

Adaptive smoothed stable extended finite element method for weak discontinuities for finite elasticity

in European Journal of Mechanics. A, Solids (2019), 78

In this paper, we propose a smoothed stable extended finite element method (S2XFEM) by combining the strain smoothing with the stable extended finite element method (SXFEM) to efficiently treat inclusions ... [more ▼]

In this paper, we propose a smoothed stable extended finite element method (S2XFEM) by combining the strain smoothing with the stable extended finite element method (SXFEM) to efficiently treat inclusions and/or voids in hyperelastic matrix materials. The interface geometries are implicitly represented through level sets and a geometry based error indicator is used to resolve the geometry. For the unknown fields, the mesh is refined based on a recovery based error indicator combined with a quadtree decomposition guarantee the method’s accuracy with respect to the computational costs. Elements with hanging nodes (due to the quadtree meshes) are treated as polygonal elements with mean value coordinates as the basis functions. The accuracy and the convergence properties are compared to similar approaches for several numerical examples. The examples indicate that S2XFEM is computationally the most efficient without compromising the accuracy. [less ▲]

A volume-averaged nodal projection method for the Reissner-Mindlin plate model

in Computer Methods in Applied Mechanics and Engineering (2018), 341

We introduce a novel meshfree Galerkin method for the solution of Reissner-Mindlin plate problems that is written in terms of the primitive variables only (i.e., rotations and transverse displacement) and ... [more ▼]

We introduce a novel meshfree Galerkin method for the solution of Reissner-Mindlin plate problems that is written in terms of the primitive variables only (i.e., rotations and transverse displacement) and is devoid of shear-locking. The proposed approach uses linear maximum-entropy approximations and is built variationally on a two-field potential energy functional wherein the shear strain, written in terms of the primitive variables, is computed via a volume-averaged nodal projection operator that is constructed from the Kirchhoff constraint of the three-field mixed weak form. The stability of the method is rendered by adding bubble-like enrichment to the rotation degrees of freedom. Some benchmark problems are presented to demonstrate the accuracy and performance of the proposed method for a wide range of plate thicknesses. [less ▲]

A linear smoothed quadratic finite element for the analysis of laminated composite Reissner–Mindlin plates

in Composite Structures (2017), 180

It is well known that the high-order elements have significantly improved the accuracy of solutions in the traditional finite element analysis, but the performance of high-order elements is restricted by ... [more ▼]

It is well known that the high-order elements have significantly improved the accuracy of solutions in the traditional finite element analysis, but the performance of high-order elements is restricted by the shear-locking and distorted meshes for the plate problems. In this paper, a linear smoothed eight-node Reissner-Mindlin plate element (Q8 plate element) based on the first order shear deformation theory is developed for the static and free vibration analysis of laminated composite plates, the computation of the interior derivatives of shape function and isoparametric mapping can be removed. The strain matrices are modified with a linear smoothing technique by using the divergence theorem between the nodal shape functions and their derivatives in Taylor’s expansion. Moreover, the first order Taylor’s expansion is also employed for the construction of stiffness matrix to satisfy the linear strain distribution. Several numerical examples indicate that the novel Q8 plate element has good performance to alleviate the shear-locking phenomenon and improve the quality of the solutions with distorted meshes. [less ▲]

A linear smoothed higher-order CS-FEM for the analysis of notched laminated composites

in Engineering Analysis with Boundary Elements (2017), 85

Higher-order elements with highly accurate solutions are attractive for stress analysis and stress concentration problems. However, the distorted eight-node serendipity quadrilateral element is known to ... [more ▼]

Higher-order elements with highly accurate solutions are attractive for stress analysis and stress concentration problems. However, the distorted eight-node serendipity quadrilateral element is known to yield inaccurate re- sults and sub-optimal convergence rate. In this paper, we present a higher order CS-FEM to alleviate the effect of distorted mesh and guarantee the quality of solutions by employing a linear smoothing technique over eight-node quadratic serendipity elements. The modified. strain matrix is computed by the divergence theorem between the nodal shape functions and their derivatives using Taylor’s expansion of the weak form. The proposed method eliminates the need for isoparametric mapping and numerical studies demonstrate that the proposed method is insensitive to mesh distortion. The improved accuracy and superior convergence rates are numerically demon- strated with a few benchmark problems. The analysis of the stress concentration around cutouts also proves that the present method has good performance for the laminated composites. [less ▲]

Numerical methods for fracture/cutting of heterogeneous materials

Presentation (2016, December)

Virtual and smoothed finite elements: A connection and its application to polygonal/polyhedral finite element methods

in International Journal for Numerical Methods in Engineering (2015), 104(13), 1173-1199

We show both theoretically and numerically a connection between the smoothed finite element method (SFEM) and the virtual element method and use this approach to derive stable, cheap and optimally ... [more ▼]

We show both theoretically and numerically a connection between the smoothed finite element method (SFEM) and the virtual element method and use this approach to derive stable, cheap and optimally convergent polyhedral FEM.We show that the stiffness matrix computed with one subcell SFEM is identical to the consistency term of the virtual element method, irrespective of the topology of the element, as long as the shape functions vary linearly on the boundary. Using this connection, we propose a new stable approach to strain smoothing for polygonal/polyhedral elements where, instead of using sub-triangulations, we are able to use one single polygonal/polyhedral subcell for each element while maintaining stability. For a similar number of degrees of freedom, the proposed approach is more accurate than the conventional SFEM with triangular subcells. The time to compute the stiffness matrix scales with the O.dof s/1:1 in case of the conventional polygonal FEM, while it scales as O.dof s/0:7 in the proposed approach. The accuracy and the convergence properties of the SFEM are studied with a few benchmark problems in 2D and 3D linear elasticity. [less ▲]