The topic of this thesis is the numerical simulation of transversely isotropic 3D structures and laminates by means of the adaptive finite element method. To achieve this goal, the theoretical background of elastic deformation problems, transverse isotropy, plate theory, and the classical laminate theory is recapitulated. The classical laminate theory implies a combination of the membrane problem and the plate problem with additional coupling terms. The focus of this work is the adjustment of two integral parts of the adaptive FE algorithm according to the classical laminate theory. One of these parts is the solution of the FE system; a good preconditioner is needed in order to use the conjugate gradient method efficiently. It is shown via a spectral equivalence bound that the combination of existing preconditioners for the membrane and plate problems poses a capable preconditioner for the combined laminate problem. The other part is the error estimation process; the error estimator determines where the current mesh has to be refined for the next step. Existing results on residual error estimators for the elasticity problem, the biharmonic problem, and the plate problem are combined and extended to obtain a posteriori local residual error indicators for the classical laminate theory problem. The effectiveness of both results is demonstrated by numerical examples.

The topic of this thesis is the numerical simulation of transversely isotropic 3D structures and laminates by means of the adaptive finite element method. To achieve this goal, the theoretical background of elastic deformation problems, transverse isotropy, plate theory, and the classical laminate theory is recapitulated. The classical laminate theory implies a combination of the membrane problem and the plate problem with additional coupling terms. The focus of this work is the adjustment of two integral parts of the adaptive FE algorithm according to the classical laminate theory. One of these parts is the solution of the FE system; a good preconditioner is needed in order to use the conjugate gradient method efficiently. It is shown via a spectral equivalence bound that the combination of existing preconditioners for the membrane and plate problems poses a capable preconditioner for the combined laminate problem. The other part is the error estimation process; the error estimator determines where the current mesh has to be refined for the next step. Existing results on residual error estimators for the elasticity problem, the biharmonic problem, and the plate problem are combined and extended to obtain a posteriori local residual error indicators for the classical laminate theory problem. The effectiveness of both results is demonstrated by numerical examples.:1 Introduction 1.1 Motivation 1.2 Organisation of this work 1.3 Notation and basic definitions 2 Basic theory of 3D simulation 2.1 Differential geometry 2.1.1 Initial and deformed domain 2.1.2 Strain tensor 2.2 Energy functional 2.2.1 Linearly elastic material law 2.2.2 Equilibrium of forces 2.2.3 Large deformations 2.2.4 Small deformations 2.3 Voigt notation and elasticity matrix 3 Transversely isotropic material law 3.1 Elasticity tensor 3.2 Conversion of the material constants 3.3 Elasticity matrix 3.4 Eigenvalues 3.5 State of plane strain 3.6 State of plane stress 4 Plate theory and classical laminate theory 4.1 The Kirchhoff–Love hypothesis 4.2 Constitutive law and bilinear form of the laminated plate 4.3 Definition of resultants 4.4 Boundary conditions 4.5 From the equilibrium conditions to the weak formulation 4.5.1 Membrane equilibrium 4.5.2 Plate equilibrium 4.5.3 Combined weak formulation 4.5.4 The CLT problem in Voigt notation 5 Discretisation 5.1 Short introduction to FEM 5.2 Adaptive FEM 5.3 Finite elements for 3D elasticity problems 5.4 Finite elements for plates 5.4 Finite elements for plates 5.4.1 BFS rectangles 5.4.2 rHCT triangles 5.5 CLT elements 5.5.1 Rectangles 5.5.2 Triangles 6 Solver and preconditioner 6.1 The preconditioned conjugate gradient method 6.2 Hierarchical basis and BPX preconditioners 6.3 Preconditioning of CLT problems 6.3.1 General laminates 6.3.2 Some special cases and examples 7 A posteriori residual error estimation 7.1 Residual error estimator for 3D elements 7.2 Residual error estimator for plate and CLT elements 7.2.1 Auxiliary definitions and assumptions on the mesh 7.2.2 Interpolation operators 7.2.3 Important inequalities 7.2.4 Cut-off functions 7.2.5 Definition of the error 7.2.6 Reliability inequality 7.2.7 Efficiency inequality 8 Some details of the implementation 8.1 The adaptive FE package SPC-PM 8.2 Remarks on some added features 8.2.1 Capability of the current code 8.2.2 Cuntze’s failure mode concept 8.3 Coordinate transformation of higher-order derivatives 8.3.1 Mapping of coordinates 8.3.2 Transformation of derivatives of up to the third-order 8.3.3 Recursive construction of transformation matrices 8.3.4 Simplification for axis-parallel rectangles 9 Numerical examples 9.1 A three-dimensional example from eniPROD 9.2 Example problems for laminates 9.2.1 Rectangular plate under in-plane load 9.2.2 Rectangular plate under vertical load 9.2.3 L-shaped plate with inhomogeneous natural boundary conditions 10 Conclusion and outlook Bibliography Acknowledgements List of main symbols Theses

Wave propagation is a phenomenon resulting from high transient loadings where the duration of the load is in µ seconds range. In aerospace and space craft industries it is important to gain knowledge about the high frequency characteristics as it aids in structural health monitoring, wave transmission/attenuation for vibration and noise level reduction. The wave propagation problem can be approached by the conventional Finite Element Method(FEM); but at higher frequencies, the wavelengths being small, the size of the finite element is reduced to capture the response behavior accurately and thus increasing the number of equations to be solved, leading to high computational costs. On the other hand such problems are handled in the frequency domain using Fourier transforms and one such method is the Spectral Finite Element Method(SFEM). This method is introduced first by Doyle ,for isotropic case and later popularized in developing specific purpose elements for structural diagnostics for inhomogeneous materials, by Gopalakrishnan. The general approach in this method is that the partial differential wave equations are reduced to a set of ordinary differential equations(ODEs) by transforming these equations to another space(transformed domain, say Fourier domain). The reduced ODEs are usually solved exactly, the solution of which gives the dynamic shape functions. The interpolating functions used here are exact solution of the governing differential equations and hence, the exact elemental dynamic stiffness matrix is derived. Thus, in the absence of any discontinuities, one element is sufficient to model 1-D waveguide of any length. This elemental stiffness matrix can be assembled to obtain the global matrix as in FEM, but in the transformed space. Thus after obtaining the solution, the original domain responses are obtained using the inverse transform. Both the above mentioned manuscripts present the Fourier transform based spectral finite element (FSFE), which has the inherent aliasing problem that is persistent in the application of the Fourier series/Fourier transforms. This is alleviated by using an additional throw-off element and/or introducing slight damping in to the system. More recently wave let transform based spectral finite element(WSFE) has been formulated which alleviated the aliasing problem; but has a limitation in obtaining the frequency characteristics, like the group speeds are accurate only up-to certain fraction of the Nyquist(central frequency). Currently in this thesis Laplace transform based spectral finite elements(LSFE) are developed for sandwich members. The advantages and limitations of the use of different transforms in the spectral finite element framework is presented in detail in Chapter-1. Sandwich structures are used in the space craft industry due to higher stiffness to weight ratio. Many issues considered in the design and analysis of sandwich structures are discussed in the well known books(by Zenkert, Beitzer). Typically the main load bearing structures are modeled as beam sand plates. Plate structures with kh<1 is analysed based on the Kirch off plate theory/Classical Plate Theory(CPT) and when the bending wavelength is small compared to the plate thickness, the effect of shear deformation and rotary inertia needs to be included where, k is the wave number and h is the thickness of the plate. Many works regarding the wave propagation in sandwich structures has been published in the past literature for wave propagation in infinite sandwich structure and giving the complete description of dispersion relation with no restriction on frequency and wavelength. More recently exact analytical solution or simply supported sandwich plate has been derived. Also it is seen by comparison of dispersion curves obtained with exact (3D formulation of theory of elasticity) and simplified theories (2D formulation as generalization of Timoshenko theory) made on infinite domain and concluded that the simplified theory can be reliably used to assess the waveguide properties of sandwich plate in the frequency range of interest. In order to approach the problems with finite domain and their implementation in the use of general purpose code; finite degrees of freedom is enforced. The concept of displacement based theories provides the flexibility in assuming different kinematic deformations to approach these problems. Many of the displacement based theories incorporate the Equivalent Single Layer(ESL) approach and these can capture the global behavior with relative ease. Chapter-2 presents the Laplace spectral finite element for thick beams based on the First order Shear Deformation Theory (FSDT). Here the effect of different choices of the real part of the Laplace variable is demonstrated. It is shown that the real part of the Laplace variable acts as a numerical damping factor. The spectrum and dispersion relations are obtained and the use of these relations are demonstrated by an example. Here, for sandwich members based on FSDT, an appropriate choice of the correction factor ,which arises due to the inconsistency between the kinematic hypothesis and the desired accuracy is presented. Finally the response obtained by the use of the element is validated with experimental results. For high shock loading cases, the core flexibility induces local effects which are very predominant and this can lead to debonding of face sheets. The ESL theories mentioned above cannot capture these effects due to the computation of equivalent through the thickness section properties. Thus, higher order theories such as the layer-wise theories are required to capture the local behaviour. One such theory for sandwich panels is the Higher order Sandwich Plate theory (HSaPT). Here, the in-plane stress in the core has been neglected; but gives a good approximation for sandwich construction with soft cores. Including the axial inertial terms of the core will not yield constant shear stress distribution through the height of the core and hence more recently the Extended Higher order Sandwich Plate theory (EHSaPT) is proposed. The LSFE based on this theory has been formulated and is presented in Chapter-4. Detailed 3D orthotropic properties of typical sandwich construction is considered and the core compressibility effect of local behavior due to high shock loading is clearly brought out. As detailed local behavior is sought the degrees of freedom per element is high and the specific need for such theory as compared with the ESL theories is discussed. Chapter-4 presents the spectral finite element for plates based on FSDT. Here, multi-transform method is used to solve the partial differential equations of the plate. The effect of shear deformation is brought out in the spectrum and dispersion relations plots. Response results obtained by the formulated element is compared and validated with many different experimental results. Generally structures are built-up by connecting many different sub-structures. These connecting members, called joints play a very important role in the wave transmission/attenuation. Usually these joints are modeled as rigid joints; but in reality these are flexible and exhibits non-linear characteristics and offer high damping to the energy flow in the connected structures. Chapter-5 presents the attenuation and transmission of wave energy using the power flow approach for rigid joints for different configurations. Later, flexible spectral joint model is developed and the transmission/attenuation across the flexible joints is studied. The thesis ends with conclusion and highlighting futures cope based on the developments reported in this thesis.

[pt] Nos últimos anos, o considerável crescimento da demanda por outras fontes de energia justifica os investimentos realizados na construção de parques eólicos, pois a energia eólica tem se mostrado como a que traz o menor impacto ao meio ambiente. A energia eólica é gerada a partir da ação do vento, uma fonte de energia renovável, totalmente limpa e inesgotável. As torres eólicas são construídas em grandes parques com uma distância definida entre elas. Quanto mais altas são as torres eólicas, melhor é o desempenho delas, visto que temos o aproveitamento máximo do vento, sendo mais forte e menos turbulento em grandes alturas. Os materiais utilizados na fabricação das torres eólicas são basicamente o aço, o concreto armado e o concreto protendido. As torres na maioria dos casos, têm seção circular ou anular. No entanto, devemos atentar de maneira especial para a fundação da torre eólica, que deverá ser dimensionada e detalhada a fim de garantir a integridade da estrutura como um todo. Neste contexto, este trabalho tem como objetivo apresentar os cálculos necessários para projetos preliminares e a verificação do dimensionamento da estrutura de fundação de geradores eólicos. Anteprojetos e projetos estruturais foram revisados e avaliados para a obtenção de um maior conhecimento sobre o funcionamento de tais elementos estruturais. Uma planilha foi criada a partir do programa Excel, na qual se efetuam os cálculos da respectiva fundação por meio de soluções analíticas. Para efeitos de comprovação da veracidade da planilha, alguns exemplos serão apresentados e calculados a partir da planilha criada, assim como verificados e comparados com a mesma através da modelagem da fundação em questão em programa de análise em elementos finitos. Aspectos de estabilidade e dinâmica de placas circulares também são discutidos. / [en] In recent years, considerable growth in demand for alternative energy sources justifies the investments made in the construction of wind farms, since wind energy appears to bring the least impact on the environment. Wind energy is generated from wind action, a source of renewable energy, totally clean and inexhaustible. Wind towers are built in huge parks with a defined distance between them. The higher the wind towers are, the better their performance, since we have the maximum use of the wind which is stronger and less turbulent at great heights. The materials used in the manufacture of wind towers are basically steel, reinforced concrete and prestressed concrete. The towers are usuallyin most cases, with circular or annular section. However, we should pay attention in a special way on the foundation of the wind tower, which should be designed and detailed to ensure the integrity of the structure as a whole. In this context, this dissertation aims to present the calculations required for the preliminary design or design verification of the foundation of wind turbines. Preliminary design and design evaluations were reviewed and evaluated to obtain a better understanding of the functioning of such structural elements. A spreadsheet was created using the Excel program, which performs the calculations of its foundation through analytical solutions. For the purpose of proving the accuracy of the worksheet results, some examples are presented and calculated from the created spreadsheet, and checked and compared to results obtained from an independent finite element analysis program. Stability and dynamics aspects of circular plates are also discussed.

<p>A large rectangular industrial duct consists of plates stiffened with parallel wide flange sections. The plates along with stiffeners acts to resist the pressure loads and to carry other loads to the supports. The behaviours of the components of large industrial ducts are significantly different from the behaviours on which the current design methods are based on. Investigation presented herein deals with the design methods for spacing stiffeners, proportioning stiffeners and calculating shear resistance of side panel.</p> <p>Current method of spacing stiffeners is based on large deflection plate theory. A parametric study was conducted on dimensionless parameters identified in order to benefit from membrane action in partially yielding plate for spacing stiffeners. Design equations were established in terms of dimensionless pressure, plate slenderness and normalized out-of-plane deflection for three cases namely; 0%, 16.5% and 33% of through thickness yielding of the plate. Results show that approximately 50% increase in stiffener spacing when yielding of 16.5% of thickness is permitted.</p> <p>Under suction type pressure load, the unsupported compression flange and restrained tension flange lead to distortional buckling of the stiffeners. The current methods do not address distortional buckling adequately. A parametric study on dimensionless parameters governing the behaviour and strength of stiffened plat panels was conducted. The study indicated that the behaviour and strength of the stiffened panels could be a function of web slenderness and overall slenderness of the stiffener. The study also identified the slenderness limit of stiffener web for which the stiffener reaches the yield moment capacity. This study demonstrated the conservatism of current method. Finally a method was established to calculate the strength of stiffened plate panel subjected lateral pressure.</p> <p>Side panels adjacent to the supports transfer large amount of shear to the supports and, in addition, resist internal pressure. Currently the design of side panels for shear is based on the methods used for the web of fabricated plate girders. The behaviour and the characteristics between the web of plate girder and the thin side panels are significantly different. A parametric study was conducted on dimensionless parameters identified. It was concluded that the plate slenderness dominates the normalized shear strength of stockier side panels. The aspect ratio and plate slenderness influence the normalized shear strength of slender side panels. Design methods to calculate the shear strength of side panels were proposed.</p> / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)