Multi-Line-Beam with Variable Kinematic Models for the Analysis of Composite Structures

Abstract

In the finite element analysis of composite structures, it is a common practice to use different formulations in different sub-regions of the problem domain. In the present work, the Carrera Unified Formulation (CUF) is used to develop variable kinematic structural models. CUF is a higher-order, one-dimensional (1D), finite element formulation which was recently introduced by the first author. By exploiting the hierarchical characteristics of the CUF, a multi-line approach is developed straightforwardly and used for the analysis of a multilayered structure. In the multiline method, 1D refined finite elements with different order of expansion over the cross-sectional plane are employed in different regions of the domain of the structure. Lagrange multipliers are used to ‘’mix’’ different order elements. Constraints are imposed on displacement variables at a number of points (‘’connection points’’) whose location over the interface boundaries is a parameter of the method. The accuracy of the proposed method is verified both through published literature and through finite element solutions using the commercial code MSC/NASTRAN.