Tangent stiffness matrix

About: Tangent stiffness matrix is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 1031 publications have been published within this topic receiving 21140 citations.

A nonlinear finite element computer program for thin-walled members

Abstract: A nonlinear finite element computer program has been developed to analyse thin-walled metal structural members. The program has the ability to handle both geometrical and material nonlinearities so that the post-buckling behaviour and ultimate strength of members can be predicted. A bending-membrane rectangular element with six degrees of freedom at each node forms the basic type of element used in the program. Marguerre's shallow shell theory is adopted for the strain-displacement relationships and hence the bifurcation point at buckling can be bypassed by providing an initial inperfection. The finite element formulation is based on the total Lagrange coordinate system and the flow theory of plasticity. Explicitly shown in the paper is the formation of the tangent stiffness matrix and the tridiagonal block form of solution procedure. Two problems of a square tube and a channel section beam subjected to pure bending were tested and found to be in close agreement with previous theoretical work.

Force Design of Tensegrity Structures by Enumeration of Vertices of Feasible Region

Abstract: An optimization approach is presented for force design of tensegrity structures by enumeration of the vertices of the feasible region of the prestresses, which is defined as the linear combinations of the coefficients of the self-equilibrium force vectors. The unilateral properties of the stresses in cables and struts are taken into consideration. In order to design the stiffest structure against uncertain external loads as well as specific external loads, a multiobjective optimization problem is formulated for simultaneous maximization of the lowest eigenvalue of the tangent stiffness matrix and minimization of the compliance against a specified set of external loads. In the numerical example, Pareto optimal solutions are found by enumerating the vertices of the feasible region of prestresses of a tensegrity grid, and the monotonicity properties of the objective functions are investigated.

Design sensitivity analysis and optimization of nonlinear transient dynamics

Abstract: A shape design sensitivity analysis (DSA) and optimization of structural transient dynamics are proposed for the finite deformation elastoplastic materials under impact with a rigid surface. A shape variation of the structure is considered using the material derivative approach in continuum mechanics. Hyperelasticitybased multiplicatively decomposed elastoplasticity is used for the constitutive model. The implicit Newmark time integration scheme is used for the structural dynamics. The design sensitivity equation is solved at each converged time step with the same tangent stiffness matrix as response analysis without iteration. The cost of sensitivity computation is more efficient than the cost of response analysis for the implicit time integration method. The efficiency and the accuracy of the proposed method are shown through the design optimization of a vehicle bumper.

On the co-rotational method for geometrically nonlinear topology optimization

Abstract: This paper investigates the application of the co-rotational method to solve geometrically nonlinear topology optimization problems. The main benefit of this approach is that the tangent stiffness matrix is naturally positive definite, which avoids some numerical issues encountered when using other approaches. Three different methods for constructing the tangent stiffness matrix are investigated: a simplified method, where the linear elastic stiffness matrix is simply rotated; the consistent method, where the tangent stiffness is derived by differentiating residual forces by displacements; and a symmetrized method, where the consistent tangent stiffness is approximated by a symmetric matrix. The co-rotational method is implemented for 2D plane quadrilateral elements and 3-node shell elements. Matlab code is given in the appendix to modify an existing, freely available, density-based topology optimization code so it can solve 2D problems with geometric nonlinear analysis using the co-rotational method. The approach is used to solve four benchmark problems from the literature, including optimizing for stiffness, compliant mechanism design, and a plate problem. The solutions are comparable with those obtained with other methods, demonstrating the potential of the co-rotational method as an alternative approach for geometrically nonlinear topology optimization. However, there are differences between the methods in terms of implementation effort, computational cost, final design, and objective value. In summary, schemes involving the symmetrized tangent stiffness did not outperform the other schemes. For problems where the optimal design has relatively small displacements, then the simplified method is suitable. Otherwise, it is recommended to use the consistent method, as it is the most accurate.