Application of ring elements in the nonlinear analysis of shells of revolution under nonaxisymmetric loading (Q1060062)

A problem-oriented method for the nonlinear elastic-plastic analysis of nonsymmetrically loaded shells of revolution is described. It is based on an approximation of the circumferential distribution of the loads and variables by Fourier series. Ring finite elements are used in the axial direction. Their stiffness matrices are obtained by an accurate numerical integration rather than by trial functions. To be able to take full advantage of the Fourier decomposition and the one-dimensional discretization, all nonlinearities are treated iteratively in the form of pseudo-load vectors. Thus, the various Fourier harmonics are governed by uncoupled algebraic equations and no explicit knowledge of the nonlinear global tangent stiffness matrix is required. Convergence problems of the iterative procedure are avoided by employing a sort of conjugate gradient method with a special preconditioning within each increment. Numerical examples involving strongly nonlinear behavior and highly nonsymmetric states of stress and deformation are given which demonstrate the effectiveness of the method.