On an implementation of the strain gradient plasticity with linear finite elements and reduced integration

Moon Shik Park, Yeong Sung Suh, Seung Song The size effects exhibited in the structural behaviors of micro-sized loading components cannot be described with classical plasticity theory alone. Thus, strain gradient plasticity together with appropriate experiments has been used to account for this size effect. In previous implementations of strain gradient plasticity into finite element code, low order displacement elements with reduced integration, despite their versatility for solving various structural problems, have been excluded because of their inability to yield the strain gradient inside the element. In this work, a new method of evaluating the plastic strain gradient with linear displacement elements via an isoparametric interpolation of the averaged-at-nodal plastic strain is proposed. Rate-independent yield conditions are satisfied accurately by the Taylor dislocation hardening model with Abaqus UHARD subroutine. To verify the suggested approach, the structural behaviors of micro-sized specimens subjected to bending, twisting, and nanoindentation tests were modeled and analyzed. The predicted size effects are generally in good agreement with previously published experimental results. Computational efforts are minimized and user versatilities are maximized by the proposed implementation. Material and geometric nonlinear isoparametric spline finite strip analysis of perforated thin-walled steel structuresNumerical investigations Thin-Walled Structures, Zhenyu Yao, Kim J.R. Rasmussen The theoretical developments of a material inelastic and geometric nonlinear analysis by use of the isoparametric spline finite strip method (ISFSM) are presented in a companion paper (Yao and Rasmussen (submitted) ). In the present paper, the numerical implementation of the analysis is reported, including nonlinear solution techniques, inelastic material models, selective reduced integration strategies, convergence criteria, and solution procedures. The reliability and efficiency of the method are demonstrated by a number of numerical examples, including analyses of flat plates with different material plasticity models, a classical nonlinear shell problem, perforated flat and stiffened plates, and perforated stiffened channel section storage rack uprights.

On the modeling and design of composite multilayered structures using solidshell finite element model
H. Naceur, S. Shiri, D. Coutellier, J.L. Batoz In this investigation a coupling between a 3D solid-shell element for the analysis of multilayered composite shell structures and a specific response surface method is proposed. The first part of the paper is dedicated to the finite element formulation of a developed composite 8-node solidshell element called , based only on translational degrees of freedom. The basis of the present finite element formulation is the standard 8-node brick element with tri-linear shape

functions. A particular attention is given to alleviate shear, trapezoidal and thickness locking, without resorting to the classical plane-stress assumption. Assumed natural strain method and enhanced assumed strain method are used to improve the relative poor element behavior of a standard hexahedral displacement element. The anisotropic material behavior of layered shells is modeled using a fully three dimensional elastic orthotropic material law in each layer, including the thickness stress component. The second part of the paper will focus on an adaptive response surface method for the structural optimization problem. The response surfaces are built using moving least squares approximations and design of experiments by means of a specific method called Diffuse Approximation. Several numerical applications to composite multilayered shell structures are studied to show the applicability and effectiveness of the proposed procedure. Good results of analysis and optimization using the developed solid-shell element have been obtained in comparison with reference analytical solutions and with those obtained using the SC8R solid-shell finite element available in code.

Determining stressstrain relationship for necking in polymers based on macro deformation behavior
S. Muhammad, P.-Y.B. Jar

An approach, based on mechanical testing and finite element modeling, is presented to establish the stressstrain relationship for polymers when necking evolves under tension. The paper gives details of criteria used for evaluating the stressstrain relationship during the necking process, and depicts how the total strain range is divided into several sections for the ease of the iterative calculation process. High-density polyethylene (HDPE) is used as a sample polymer to illustrate the approach. The results show that this approach can consider non-linear and creep deformation during the neck evolvement, and the stressstrain relationship established can be applied to a finite element model to regenerate forceelongation curve and cross-section reduction measured from the mechanical testing.