SOURCES OF NONLINEARITIES

Geometric
Material
Force Boundary Conditions
Displacement Boundary Conditions

Prof .N. Siva Prasad, Indian Institute of Technology Madras

GEOMETRIC NONLINEARITY
Physical source
Change in geometry as the structure deforms is taken into
account in setting up the strain displacement
and equilibrium equations.

Applications
1.Slender structures in aerospace, civil and mechanical
engineering applications.
2.Tensile structures such as cables and inflatable
membranes.
3.Metal and plastic forming.
4.Stability analysis of all types.

Prof .N. Siva Prasad, Indian Institute of Technology Madras

GEOMETRIC NONLINEARITY
CONTD..
Mathematical source
Strain-displacement equations:
e = Du
(2.1)
The operator D is nonlinear when finite strains (as
opposed to infinitesimal strains) are expressed in
terms of displacements.
Internal equilibrium equations:
b = D
(2.2)
In the classical linear theory of elasticity, D = DT
is the formal adjoint of D, but that is not necessarily
true if geometric nonlinearities are considered.
Prof .N. Siva Prasad, Indian Institute of Technology Madras

GEOMETRIC NONLINEARITY
CONTD..

Large strain
The strains themselves may be large, say over 5%.
Ex: rubber structures (tires, membranes)
Small strains
but finite displacements and/or rotations. Slender
structures undergoing finite displacements
rotations
although the deformational strains may be
treated
as infinitesimal.
Example: cables, springs

Prof .N. Siva Prasad, Indian Institute of Technology Madras

GEOMETRIC NONLINEARITY
CONTD..
Linearized prebucking.
When both strains and displacements
may be treated as infinitesimal before loss of
stability by buckling.
These may be viewed as initially stressed
members.
Example:
many civil engineering structures such as
buildings and stiff (non-suspended) bridges.
Prof .N. Siva Prasad, Indian Institute of Technology Madras

MATERIAL NONLINEARITY
Physical source
Material behavior depends on current deformation
state and possibly past history of the deformation.
Other constitutive variables (prestress,
temperature, time, moisture, electromagnetic
fields, etc.) may be involved.
Applications
Structures undergoing

nonlinear elasticity
plasticity
viscoelasticity
creep, or inelastic rate effects.

Prof .N. Siva Prasad, Indian Institute of Technology Madras

MATERIAL NONLINEARITY CONTD..

Mathematical source
The constitutive equations that relate stresses
and strains. For a linear elastic material
= Ee
where the matrix E contains elastic moduli.
Note:
If the material does not fit the elastic
model, generalizations of this equation are
necessary, and a whole branch of continuum
mechanics is devoted to the formulation, study
and validation of constitutive equations.

Prof .N. Siva Prasad, Indian Institute of Technology Madras

MATERIAL NONLINEARITY CONTD..

The engineering significance of material
nonlinearities varies greatly across disciplines.
civil engineering
deals with inherently nonlinear materials such
as concrete, soils and low-strength steel.
mechanical engineering
creep and plasticity are most important,
frequently occurring in
combination with
strain-rate and thermal effects.
aerospace engineering
material nonlinearities are less important and
tend to be local in nature (for example, cracking
and localization failures of composite
materials).

Prof .N. Siva Prasad, Indian Institute of Technology Madras

MATERIAL NONLINEARITY CONTD..

Material nonlinearities may give rise to
very complex phenomena such as path
dependence, hysteresis, localization,
shakedown, fatigue, progressive failure.
The detailed numerical simulation of
these phenomena in three dimensions is
still beyond the capabilities of the most
powerful computers.

Prof .N. Siva Prasad, Indian Institute of Technology Madras

FORCE BC NONLINEARITY
Physical Source
Applied forces depend on deformation.
Applications
The most important engineering application
concerns pressure loads of fluids.
Ex:
1. Hydrostatic loads on submerged or
container structures;
2. Aerodynamic and hydrodynamic loads
caused by the motion of aeriform and hydro form
fluids (wind loads, wave loads, and drag forces).

Prof .N. Siva Prasad, Indian Institute of Technology Madras

DISPLACEMENT BC NONLINEARITY
Physical source
Displacement boundary conditions depend on the deformation
of the structure.
Applications
The most important application is the contact problem,
in which no-interpenetration conditions are enforced on flexible
bodies while the extent of the contact area is unknown.

Non-structural applications of this problem pertain to the more

general class of free boundary problems,
example: ice melting, phase changes, flow in porous media.
The determination of the essential boundary conditions is a key
part of the solution process.

Prof .N. Siva Prasad, Indian Institute of Technology Madras

Some solution method

For a time independent problem
[K]{D}={F}

K
For a linear analysis [K] and {R} are independent of [D].
For nonlinear analysis [K] and {R} are regarded
as function of {D}

Consider [K] is a function of {D} and can be computed

Fig 1
for a given {D} Consider a nonlinear spring in Fig 1
Spring stiffness

[K]=K0+KN

K0=constant term
KN=depends on deformation
(K0+KN)u=P

Hardening
KN>0

KN=0

Softening
KN<0

Where u=displacement
P=load And KN=f(u) and depends on [D]
Note: 1.when KN is known in terms of u,P can be calculated in
terms of u
2.Explicit solution for u is not available

Direct substitution
Let

KN<0 (softening spring

PA is the load applied
P
Assume KN=0 first iteration
UA=displacement produced for the first iteration

u1

PA

K0

K0

2
1
Slope=K0-KN1

Use u1 to compute the new stiffness. K0+KN1=K0+f(u)

u2

PA

( K 0 f (u1 ))

Writing symbolically

u1

u2

u3

u1 k01 p A , u2 (k0 k N 1 ) 1 p A ,......, ui 1 (k0 k Ni ) 1 p A

This calculations are interpreted graphically in Fig 2.2

Note:
1.Approximate stiffness K0+KNi can be regarded as secants of the actual cu
2.After several iterations, the secant stiffness=K0+KN
3.stiffness=PA/UA u=uA is closely approximated
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Alternative method
Take KN is to the right hand side

u1 k01 p A , u2 k01 ( p A k N 1u1 ),......, ui 1 k01 ( p A k Niui )

KN2u2
KN1u1
P

pA

KN1u1
p1

KN1u1=pa-p1
KN2u2=p1-p2

K
0

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N-R solution

Modified N-R solution

(Kt)A

(Kt)1

(K1)1

(K1)1

P
a

PB
P1

PB- PA

PB

P1

PB- PA

PA

PB- PA

2
PB- PA

PA

u1
uA

u1

u2
u1

u2

uB

uA

u2
u1

u2

uB

Prof .N. Siva Prasad, Indian Institute of Technology Madras

15

Total Lagrangian Formulation

Three kinematic descriptions of geometrically nonlinear finite element analysis
are in current use in programs that solve nonlinear structural problems. They an
be distinguished by the choice of reference configuration.
1. Total Lagrangian description (TL). The reference configuration is seldom or
never changed: often it is kept equal to the base configuration throughout
the analysis. Strains and stresses are measured with respect to this
configuration.
2. Updated Lagrangian description (UL). The last target configuration, once
reached, becomes the next reference configuration. Strains and stresses are
redefined as soon as the reference configuration is updated.
3. Corotational description (CR). The reference configuration is split. Strains and
stresses are measured from the corotated configuration whereas the base
configuration is maintained as reference for measuring rigid body motions.

16

Remark : The TL formulation remains the most widely used in continuumbased finite element codes. The CR formulation is gaining in popularity for
structural elements such as beams, plates and shells. The UL formulation
is primarily used in treatments of vary large strains and flow-like behavior.

Coordinate Systems : Configurations taken by a body or element during the

response analysis are linked by a Cartesian global frame, to which all
computations are ultimately referred.

There are actually two such frames:

(i) The material global frame with axes {X} or {X, Y, Z}.
(ii) The spatial global frame with axes {x } or {x, y, z}.

17

The material frame tracks the base configuration whereas the spatial frame
tracks all others. This distinction agrees with the usual conventions of
classical continuum mechanics. In the present work both frames are
taken to be identical, as nothing is gained by separating them. Thus only
one set of global axes, with dual labels, is drawn in Figure 1. In stark
contrast to global frame uniqueness, the presence of elements means
there are many local frames to keep track of. More precisely, each
element is endowed with two local Cartesian frames:
(iii) The element base frame with axes { X } or { X, Y, Z}.
(iv) The element reference frame with axes {x} or {x, y, z}.
The base frame is attached to the base configuration. It remains fixed if
the base is fixed. It is chosen according to usual FEM practices.

Prof .N. Siva Prasad, Indian Institute of Technology Madras

18

There are two ways to construct TL elements:

1.
2.

The Standard Formulation (SF)

The Core Congruential Formulation (CCF).

The first method is easier to describe and will be presented in this Chapter through examples.
The second one is more flexible and powerful but it is more dif cult to teach because it
proceeds in stages.

Prof .N. Siva Prasad, Indian Institute of Technology Madras

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