Estimating Lower Bound Limit Loads: No Iterations/Modulus Adjustment

Author(s):  
C. Hari Manoj Simha ◽  
Reza Adibi-Asl

We use the extended variational form of Mura and co-workers to estimate the lower bound limit loads for structures acted upon by a single load. Our scheme requires one elastic stress field either from a conventional finite element computation or analytical solution. No iterative stress field adjustments are required. We also adapt the scheme for structures with flaws by advancing a criterion that may be used to select sub-volumes of the structure that do not participate in the collapse. For structures with flaws, no ad hoc elastic modulus reduction at the stress concentration is required. Application of the proposed method is illustrated for some typical flawed and flaw-free structures and it is shown that the obtained multipliers are not overly conservative.

Author(s):  
Dan Vlaicu

In this paper, the finite element method is used to develop the lower bound limit for the elastic shakedown analysis of axisymmetric nozzles under periodic loading conditions. The Nonlinear Superposition Method is employed to calculate the lower bound shakedown loads by quoting Melan’s theorem in a nonlinear finite element analysis. The calculation is divided into two separate iterations which are blended with a technique that matches the elastic-plastic part of the analysis with the linear part. In the first part of the calculation, the cyclic load is applied as a static load to generate an elastic stress field in the structure. The same cyclic load is subsequently combined with the constant fraction of the load in the second part of the calculation, and the total load is applied in an elastic-plastic analysis that exceeds the yield limit. For each solution increment, the residual stress is generated from the superposition of the elastic stress field scaled through the applied cyclic load and the shakedown stress field calculated from the nonlinear analysis. The results obtained from the lower bound method are compared with the full cyclic loading analyses based on nonlinear material properties, and this paper discusses the choice of the global shakedown in terms of the radial strain, and the local through thickness shakedown defined by the hoop strain. Furthermore, this paper presents the development of a generic model that emulates the behavior of the finite element model under cyclic loads in a simplified form, with the statistical representation based on a sampling of base-model data for a variety of test cases. The probabilistic method takes variations of the geometrical dimensions, nonlinear material properties, and pressure load as the input parameters, whereas the response variable is defined in terms of the lower bound of the shakedown loads.


1993 ◽  
Vol 115 (4) ◽  
pp. 392-403 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arturo O. Cifuentes ◽  
Iqbal A. Shareef

Thermal stresses are a major concern in the reliability of metal lines. This paper addresses some modeling issues concerning the determination of thermal stresses in such structures. Specifically, a finite element technique that allows one to follow the evolution of the stress field as a function of the steps of the manufacturing process is discussed. In addition, comparisons between several modeling strategies, namely, plane stress versus plane strain, geometric nonlinearity versus geometric linearity, “frozen view” models versus “evolving” models, etc., are presented. A detailed example describing the manufacturing of a copper line is included to illustrate these points.


Author(s):  
K. S. Lee ◽  
D. N. Moreton ◽  
D. G. Moffat

The concepts of limit loads and plastic loads for piping components are outlined. The difficulty associated with specifying reliable definitions for these quantities is addressed. These difficulties include the selection of a deformation parameter, the selection of a location within the structure where this deformation is to be calculated or measured and the criterion to be used to assess if the deformation is sufficient for the structure to be considered to have reached its limit or plastic load. An alternative method based upon plastic work has recently been advocated [1]. This definition is based upon the plastic work that may be calculated during a routine finite element computation. Having plotted the cumulative plastic work against a load parameter, it was shown possible to identify levels at which collapse mechanisms form and where gross plastic deformation becomes evident. The present work attempts to add some precision to this definition. This has been done by determining the important geometric parameters and forming non-dimensional quantities to allow new plots in which the limit or plastic loads can be extracted directly and without any ambiguity. The technique is shown to be reliable for cracked and uncracked plain cylinders and cracked and uncracked piping branch junctions.


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