MCEN 4173/5173 Chapter 3

1D Spring/Truss Elements

Fall, 2006

What is Finite Element Method? P

undeformed

P
deformed

X2

X2

X1

X1

In a very simple way, a solid mechanics problem is about

Given P, what is u?
For linear elasticity, we want to find an approximate solution by:

[K]{u}={P}

Linear equations

[K] is a matrix that shows the relationship between {u} and {P}. How to formulate [K]?
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1D Spring/Truss Elements

3 2
Model the interface as springs

Spring elements: commonly used to model connectors, interface. In this lecture, we will use spring element to illustrate some basic features of finite element

Reading Materials: 1.1-1.7 (especially 1.2), 2.1-2.5.

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Spring/Truss Assembly

6 Spring constant k Displacements at each node? Spring element = Truss element

4

Coordinate System y

y
2 1

z
z

Global Coordinate: (xyz) Local Coordinate:

y z ) (x

1D Spring/Truss Element
1 In a spring element, 2

f d 1x 1x
1

f d 2x 2x
2

2 nodes, and each node has 1 DOF. The element has 2 DOFs.

So, we have two nodal displacements, and two nodal forces. Sign Rule: the force or the displacement is positive, if it is along the
positive direction of the coordinate.
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Single Spring Element

f d 1x 1x
1

f d 2x 2x
2

x
= kd f

Constitutive equation (force-displacement equation) For the spring to be in equilibrium,

=f =k d d f 2x 1x 2x 1x = kd kd f 1x 1x 2x = kd + kd f 2x 1x 2x

Two Spring Elements

d 1x
1

k1

d 3x
3

k2

d 2x
2

F1x

F3 x

F2 x
For element

Fix
For element

is the external force on the i-th node.

f (1) d 1x 1x
1

k1

f (1) d 3x 3x
3

f ( 2) d 3x 3x
3

k2

f ( 2) d 2x 2x
2

Two Spring Elements

Force balance at each node

(1) f 1x
1 3

(1) f 3x
3

( 2) f 3x
2

( 2) f 2x

(1) f 1x
1

(1) f 3x
3

( 2) f 3x
F3 x

( 2) f 2x
2

F1x

F2 x ( 2) F2 x = f 2x

(1) F1x = f 1x

(1) + f ( 2) F3 x = f 3x 3x

F: external force, or total force acting on the node f: internal force, or force contribution from one element
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Two Spring Elements

Global Stiffness Matrix
For element For element

(1) k1 f 1x (1) = k1 f3x

(1) = F1x = f 1x ( 2) = F2 x = f 2x (1) + f ( 2) = F3 x = f 3x 3x

k1 d 1x k1 d 3 x

( 2) k2 f 3x ( 2) = f2x k 2

k2 d 3x k2 d 2 x

k d k1d 1x 1 3 x = + k1d1 x + 0d 2 x k1d 3 x k d k2d 2x 2 3 x = 0d1x + k 2 d 2 x k 2 d 3 x +k d k1d 1x 1 3x + k2d3x k2 d 2 x k d + (k + k )d = k d

1 1x 2 2x 1 2

3x

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Two Spring Elements

Global Stiffness Matrix

+ 0d k d F1x = + k1d 1x 2x 1 3x +k d F2 x = 0d 1x 2 2 x k2d3x k d F3 x = k1d 1x 2 2 x + (k1 + k 2 )d 3 x

F1x k1 F2 x = 0 F k 3x 1

0 k2 k2

k1 d 1x k 2 d 2 x k1 + k 2 d 3 x

F1x F2 x F 3x

Global (external) nodal force matrix

d 1x d 2 x d 3x

k1 0 k1

0 k2 k2

k1 Global stiffness k2 matrix k1 + k 2

Global nodal displacement matrix

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Global Stiffness Matrix Direct Stiffness Method

Element stiffness matrix For element For element

(1) k1 f 1x (1) = k1 f3x

k1 d 1x k1 d 3 x

( 2) k2 f 3x ( 2) = f2x k 2

k2 d 3x k2 d 2 x

Expanded Stiffness matrix

(1) k f 0 k1 d 1x 1 1x (1) f 2 x = 0 0 0 d 2 x f (1) k 0 k d 3 x 1 1 3x

( 2 ) 0 f 0 1x ( 2) f 2 x = 0 k 2 f ( 2 ) 0 k 2 3x

0 d 1x k 2 d 2 x d k2 3x

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Global Stiffness Matrix Direct Stiffness Method

(1) ( 2) F1x f1x f1x (1) ( 2) F2 x = f 2 x + f 2 x F f (1) f ( 2) 3x 3x 3x

0 0 k1 0 k1 d 1x = 0 0 0 d 2 x + 0 k 2 d 0 k 0 k k 1 3x 2 1 k1 = 0 k1 0 k2 k2 k1 d 1x k 2 d 2 x d k1 + k 2 3x

0 d 1x k 2 d 2 x d k2 3x

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Global Stiffness Matrix Properties of Global Stiffness Matrix

F1x k1 F2 x = 0 F k 3x 1

0 k2 k2

k1 d 1x k 2 d 2 x k1 + k 2 d 3 x

1. The product of the i-th row of the global stiffness matrix and the global displacement matrix gives the external force on the i-th DOF of the system.

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Global Stiffness Matrix Properties of Global Stiffness Matrix

F1x k1 F2 x = 0 F k 3x 1
Cannot find a solution because

0 k2 k2

k1 d 1x k 2 d 2 x k1 + k 2 d 3 x

2 det[K ] = k1k 2 (k1 + k 2 ) k1k 2 k 2 k12 = 0

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Boundary Conditions

=0 d 1x
1

k1

d 3x
3

k2

d 2x
2

F1x

F3 x

F2 x

F1x k1 F2 x = 0 F k 3x 1

0 k2 k2

k1 0 k 2 d 2 x k1 + k 2 d 3 x

F1x F2 x F3 x

= 0 +0 = 0 + k2 d 2x = 0 k d
2 2x

k1d 3x k d

2 3x

+ (k1 + k 2 )d 3x
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Boundary Conditions

F1x F2 x F3 x

= 0 +0 = 0 + k2d 2x = 0 k d
2 2x

k1d 3x k d

2 3x

+ (k1 + k 2 )d 3x

F1x k1 F2 x = 0 F k 3x 1

0 k2 k2

k1 0 k2 d 2 x d k1 + k 2 3x

k2 det k 2
How to find F1x ?

k2 0 k1 + k 2

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Boundary Conditions

=0 d 1x
1

k1

d 3x
3

k2

d 2x
2

F1x

F3 x

F2 x

F1x k1 F2 x = 0 F k 3x 1

0 k2 k2

k1 0 k2 d 2 x d k1 + k 2 3x

F1x = 0 + 0 k1d 3x k d F2 x = 0 + k 2 d 2x 2 3x + (k + k )d F3 x = 0 k 2 d 2x 1 2 3x

(d

2 x , d3x

)
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Boundary Conditions

(d

2 x , d3x

F1x = 0 + 0 k1d 3x
F1x k1 F2 x = 0 F k 3x 1 0 k2 k2 k1 0 k2 d 2 x d k1 + k 2 3x

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Global Stiffness Matrix & Direct Stiffness Method

For the system with two springs:
F1x k1 F2 x = 0 F k 3x 1 0 k2 k2 k1 d 1x k 2 d 2 x k1 + k 2 d 3 x

d 1x

d 2x

d 3x

k1 [K ] = 0 k1

0 k2 k2 K12 K 22 K 32

k1 k2 k1 + k 2 K13 K 23 K 33

F1x

1 2 3

F2 x F3 x

K11 [K ] = K 21 K 31

K ij = K ji

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Global Stiffness Matrix & Direct Stiffness Method

General Form of Global Stiffness Matrix For a system with N DOFs 1 i j N

[K ] =

K ij

1 i j N

N by N matrix

K ii

K jj

K ij
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Global Stiffness Matrix & Direct Stiffness Method

Direct Stiffness Method
Element stiffness matrix

For element
k1 k 1 k1 k1

For element
k2 k 2 k2 k2

Expanding Stiffness matrix

k1 0 k1

0 k1 0 0 0 k1

0 0 0 k 2 0 k 2

0 k2 k2

Adding element matrixes together

0 k1 0 k1 0 0 0 0 + 0 k 2 k1 0 k1 0 k 2

0 k2 k2

k1 [K ] = 0 k1

0 k2 k2

k1 k2 k1 + k 2
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Global Stiffness Matrix & Direct Stiffness Method

Direct Stiffness Method

k1

k2

Element number 1
k1 k 1

3
k1 1 k1 3
(1) k11 (1) k13 (1) k13 (1) k33

2
k2 k 2

3
k2 2 k2 3
( 2) k 22 ( 2) k 23 ( 2) k 23 ( 2) k33

Nodal number

Nodal number

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Global Stiffness Matrix & Direct Stiffness Method

Direct Stiffness Method
(1) k11 (1) k13 (1) k13 (1) k33

( 2) k33 ( 2) k32

( 2) k32 ( 2) k 22

Expanding Stiffness matrix

1
(1) k11 0 (1) k13

(1) 1 0 k13 0 0 2 (1) 0 k 33 3

0 0 0 k ( 2 ) 22 ( 2) 0 k 23

0 1 ( 2) k 23 2 ( 2) k 33 3

(1) k11 0 (1) k13

0
( 2) k 22 ( 2) k 23

(1) k13 ( 2) k 23 (1) ( 2) k33 + k33

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Global Stiffness Matrix & Direct Stiffness Method

Direct Stiffness Method

Element I i j
(I ) kii (I ) kij (I ) kij k (jjI )

N by N matrix 1 i j N

[K ] =

1 i j N

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Global Stiffness Matrix & Direct Stiffness Method

Direct Stiffness Method Example

k1
1 2

k2
3

k3
4

k4
5

k5
6

k6
7

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27

Global Stiffness Matrix & Direct Stiffness Method

Direct Stiffness Method Example

k1 k 1 0 0 0 0 0

k1 k1 + k 2 k2 0 0 0 0

0 k2 k 2 + k3 k3 0 0 0

0 0 k3 k3 + k 4 k4 0 0

0 0 0 k4 k 4 + k5 k5 0

0 0 0 0 k5 k5 + k 6 k6

0 0 0 0 0 k6 k6

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Global Stiffness Matrix & Direct Stiffness Method

Physical Implication of

K ij

The product of the i-th row of the global stiffness matrix and the global displacement matrix gives the external force on the i-th DOF of the system.

Fi = K i1 ... K ij

d1 ... ... K iN d j ... d N

Fi = K i1d1 + ... + K ij d j + ... + K iN d N

Now, we consider a special case, where

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Global Stiffness Matrix & Direct Stiffness Method

Physical Implication of

K ij

Now, we consider a special case, where

d1 = d 2 = d j 1 = d j +1 = d N = 0

d j =1

Fi = K ij
So, Kij is equal to the reaction force on the i-th DOF due to a unit displacement on the j-th DOF whereas all the other DOFs are fixed.

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Global Stiffness Matrix & Direct Stiffness Method

Physical Implication of

K ij

km

kn

km

kn

31

Global Stiffness Matrix & Direct Stiffness Method The next step in FEA is to solve the following linear equations

Symm.

d1 F1 d F 2 2 ... ... ... = ... ... ... ... ... ... ... d F N N

In FEA, the global stiffness is symmetric and sparse. This offers FEA a big advantage because the linear equations with such properties can be solved with a very high efficiency.
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