ON THE SOLUTION OF CREEP INDUCED

BUCKLING IN GENERAL STRUCTURE?

Josepw PA~GVMand S~RAPONO TO~C~CH~KUL

Departmentof MechanicalEngineering,The Universityof Akron, Akron, OH 44325,U.S.A.

(Receiwd 6 July 1981;r~~~ior ~ub~cafi~ 23 Augurl i%l)

Abstract-This paper considers the pre and post buckling behavior of genera) structures exposed to high
temperaturefields for long durationswhereincreep effects become significant,The solutionto this problemis made
possible throughthe use of closed upperboundingconstraintsurfaceswhich enable the developmentof a new time
stepping algorithm.This permits the stable and efficient solution of structuralproblems which exhibit ~defi~~
tangentproperties.Due to the mannerof constrainin&oundin~successive iterates,the algorithmdevelopedherein
is largely self adaptive, inherentlystable, sufficientlyflexible to handle geometricmaterialand only induced
no~ne~ty, and can be incited into eitherfiniteelement or differencesedations. To ihustratethe capability
of the procedure,as we11as, the physics of creep induced pre and post bucklingbehavior, the results of several
numericalexperimentsare included.

1.INTRoDucrrGN In the context of the foregoing,this paper will develop

Typically the buckling of thin walled structure with
c~ature is ch~acte~zed by a jump to another equili-
brium condition. The overall load history of such struc-
ture can be compartmentalized into three zones of
behavior namely:
(1) The initial prebucklingtoad zone in which there is
gradual structural softening characterized by a mono-
tonically decreasing but positive definite tangent
stiffness;
(2) The bucklingzone where the load bearing capacity
of the structure is saturated as seen by changes in
definitenessof the tangent stiffness and lastly;
(3) The ~stbuck~ng zone which typically involves
unloading~reloadingas the tangent stiffness undergoes
transitionsin definiteness.
For structure undergoingcreep caused by exposure to
high temperatures, the bucklingload can be significantly
reduced, This is a direct outgrowth of the permanent
creep generated reshaping of the structure which causes
a redis~bution of internal loads. Hence, for a loaded
structure, as time progresses creep will typically tend to
monotonic~ly reduce the bucklingcapacityll].
Note the purely elastic problem of pre-~stbuck~~
has been extensively investigated[2-91.Such is not the
case for situations under the intluence of creep effects.
Currently availablesolution procedures[ 10-141are either
appiicabteto specialized structure[lff4] or are restric-
ted to the prebuckling range of mechanical response
behavior wherein the tangent properties are positive
deli&e. This is a direct outgrowth of two factors
namely:
a new constrained time stepping algorithmic solution
strategy which will enable the solution of creep initiated
pre and postbucklingbehavior wherein semi definiteness
is encountered. Particularemphasis will be given to
evaluatingthe critical time[l] which marks the onset of
creep initiated buc~ng~o~apse as well as definingpost
buckling behavior. As will be seen during the develop
ment, due to the mannerin whichsuccessiveiteratesare
constrained,the agony developedhereinis inherently
stableandlargelyself corrective(adaptive).
For the purposes of demonstration,the algorithm
developedherein will be employedin conjunctionwith
the tIniteelementmeth~olo~[ 121.In the sectionswhich
follow, detailed discussionswill be given on the govern-
ing field equations employed, the development of the
constrained approach as well as the results of several
numericalexperiments.
2 GO-G FIFJBiQUAlKiNS
Since the primary emphasisof this paperis to develop
a familyof constrainedtime steppingalgorithmswhich
can etficientlyhandlethe elastic-plastic-creepresponse
of structurewhichmay undergob#c~ng~oUapse,large
deformationsmallstraintheory is used to establishthe
finiteelement(FE) fieldequations.In this context, as a
startingpoint to the overalldevelopment,the governing
virtualworktheoremis givenby
f
v. &is, do =
I ova
Spds, -t ud knj ds (2.1)

(i) The semi definite characteristics of the tangent where S( ) is the virtual operator, VOthe initialreference
structural properties in the nei~borh~d of bucklingas volumeand Lj and S, are respectivelythe Lagrangian
well as in the postbucklingrange; and straintensor and second Piola Kirchhoffpseudo stress
(ii) The history dependent nature of creep effects. tensordefinedby [ 151
Such characteristicstend to lead to highly unstabb and
non-convergent solutioncharacteristicsfor slope driven 4 = k&J + hi + JhkJ) c2.2)

algorithmswhich form the basis of most general purpose

procedures.

tThiswork has been supportedby NASA, Lewis under grant such that po, p, a~, XCand ut are respectively the initial
NAG3-54. and insurers density, the Cauchy stress, the
379
380 J. PADOVAN
and S. TOVICHA~XHAIKUL

Eulerian coordinates and lastly the Cartesiandisplace- rate can be expressed in terms of mechanical equations
ment. of state namely [l]
Employinga displacementtype formulation, ui can be 1

recast in the form [ 121 6~ = g(Ued(f),t) (2.14)

Ul
i, = + = q(&d(t), i) (2.15)
u = [N] Y; u = uz (2.4)
IIUS
such that the functions g and q are obtained empirically
where [IV] is the shape function of a given element and Y from uniaxial tests[ 1,111 and i is the pseudo iime[ 11
are the associatednodal displacements.Substituting(2.4 associated with a given creep curve. Now assuming that
into (2.Q-(2.3)yields the followingFE formation namely a Prandtl-Reuss type relation[l6] can be used for com-
puting the creep, it follows that

4=~Vo[s*W)lTSd~ (2.5) AL, - aud (2.16)

(2.6) wherein AL, is an increment in creep strain and

[B*(Y)1= VI + MY)I[Gl
(2.7) a = cu(&d,ccc,&, i)
L = [[BI + $B.(Y)I[G]]Y
(2.17)
(QT = (Ll, Lu, . * . , La) (2.8)

(SJT = (S,l, su,. . . , Sld
such that ( )T denotes matrix transpositionand 4 is the
nodal force vector. For the present problem,the material
will be assumed to exhibit elastic-plastic and creep
behavior. Because of this, (2.5) will be time dependent.
The plasticity behavior will be expressed in terms of the
usual yield surface, flow rule and associated plasticity
assumptions[ 161.The creep willbe cast in terms of strain
hardeningconcepts where in goingfrom one stress level
to the next, the creep rate depends on the existing strain
in the material[ 1,111.
To round out the necessary field equations,it is noted
that since plastic and creep properties are typically
handled via incremental concepts, (2.5) can be recast to
admit such formulations. This is possible by employing a
Taylor expansion about time t. Such an expansion yields
the incremental formulation
W + At) - $(0+
A9- ,([GITIS][G]AY + [B*]‘AS) du + O((At)‘)
I
such that [S] is the prestress matrix and AS is the
increment in stress wherein
AS-$A1
with At defining the time step.
In terms of (2.10), the elastic-plastic and creep
material properties will be employed in their tangent
modulus form. For creep behavior, this is possible by
casting the 3-D deviatoric Cauchy stress and creep strain
fields in equivalent form namely
cr.d = d=
elc = q/fkek,,
(2.9) such that At is the time increment. In the next section,
such constitutive formulations will be employed to est-
ablish the overall time stepping algorithms.
3.NEWTONRAPiiWNTlME
srEPPlNGAu;oRITHM
Based on the governing field equations, constitutive
representations and FE formulation defined previously,
this section will overview the use of the Newton Raph-
son (NR) operator in establishing a time stepping al-
gorithm for the solution of the elastic-plastic-creep
deformation of general structure undergoing potential
buckling-collapse. The discussion will include:
(1) A brief overview of the approach;
(2) The establishment of the central NR time stepping
algorithm as well as;
(3) An overview of the most significant shortcomings
of the NR approach.
As will be seen in the next section, such insights will
lead to algorithmic improvements which retain the ad-
vantages of the NR algorithms while removing some of
its disadvantages hence enabling the analysis of both pre
(2.10) and post buckling behavior.
3.1 Overview of time stepping solution approach
In most static analyses, the solution to nonlinear prob-
lems usually involves an incremental approach wherein
the external load is applied in increments thus allowing
(2.11) the governing field equation to be solved iteratively
without initiating significant drift or solution
instability 112).The process is continued until the required
loading is achieved. For elastic-plastic-creep loading
problems, the incremental approach can be transtated
into external load and creep strain increments which
occur over specified time intervals. Specificially, such
time increments replace the load steps of purely elastic-
plastic problems.
In the context of the foregoing, if we let At, define the
(2.12) size of the time increment, then the time of the ith
iteration of the fth step is given by
(2.13)

where Udih LII and crd,z, are respectively the deviatoric hi = tmt f: Ah, (3.1)
,=*
Cauchy stress, the creep strain and equivalent stress and
creep strains. Most typically ea: and L the creep strain where At~j is that portion of At, used during the jth
 On the solution of creepinducedbucks in generalstructure 381

iteration and where

I-1 A
ko=
-1 -1 A4
F:c
(3.2) VL(Y)l= lv, UGI’tSltGl+

such that I, defines the rmmberof iterations required in +[B*(Y)lTID,(Y~ltB*(Y)l)dv (3.11)

the kth step. Since time progresses incrementally, it
follows that the displacementand stress state of the ith Rquation (3.10)forms the central algorithmof the NR
iteration of the lth time step is given by time stepping scheme. Namely, as time progresses a Ah
increment, (3.10)can be used to estimate the resul~g
AK. Note since the overall equations are nonlinear,(2.5)
Yu = Y,,+i
f-1
AYrl (3.3) can be used in conjunction with (3.10)to eliminateany
load ~b~~~es. As time tends toward fetit wherein
t bucklingmay occur, it follows that
NYU)= S(Yto)+ WYIJ-I, AYIJ) (3.4)
F=1
det [K&J)] > det [K&4 +O (3.12)
where
where tu > tlr. Such global-local softening is a direct
i-1 Jk outgrowth of the structural reshapinginitiated by creep
YlO=
Fs=AYkt
-1 J-1
(3.5) effects. As will be seen later, such creep dependent
reshaping may cause indefiniteness in the structural
I-I Jk stiffness thereby leadingto significantnumericaldiicul-
SW3 = &g, AS(Y,-1, AYiJ (3.6) ties.

such that the various increments defining(3.3)-(3.6)are 3.3 Oueruiewo~skortcomingsof straight NewtonRaphson
obtained dour the use of the NR modern developed u~go~rhm
in the next subsection.Note these can be obtainedin two While the NR agony has been extensively used to
different ways, namely: obtain the solution to nonlinear mechancis problems, it
(i) By properly proportioningAt into Atu increments has several rather severe shortcomings for situations
wherein the peculation of AS(YI+~,AYv) is in updated involvingpre and post bucklingbehavior. For structure
time tu or; undergoing long term exposure to high temperatures,
(ii) By assuming that A& is small enough such that there is always the possibilityof creep initiatedcollapse.
propo~o~ng and updatingis unne~ess~y duringa given This is a direct ou~o~ of the fact that creep
increment. generated permanent strains and deflectionscan cause a
redistribution of internal loading and thereby greatly
3.2 DifferentiaIformulation of governingequations modify the load carrying capacity of a given structure.
For pre and post bucklingproblems involvingelastic, Most typically, the overall process is marked by a
plastic and creep behavior, (2.10)must be reformulated gradual softening of the system tangent stiflness cul-
minatingin potential negative definitenessat some time
to admit such material properties. Under the assumption
of large deformation and small strains, the usual yield tvls This is thereafter followed by collapse.
Since the standard NR algorithm is slope driven,
surface, flow rule and associated plasticity assumptions
anomaloussolution behavior is typically encountered as
lead to the followingform for AS(YIH,AYs)namely
time increases. Typically in such situations, successive
iterates are marked by un~on~olled exc~s~ns cut
AS(YH, AK) = [D,(Y~-,)lf[B*(Y,i-,)lAYu -AL) minatingin out-of-balance loads or nonconvergentpro-
(3.7) perties. As noted earlier the next section will develop a
constant form of me-step~ng ~0~~ which
where automaticallyselects the appropriate At as well as which
bounds successive iterates thereby enablingthe solution
[&(YII-l)l of problems with local-globalindefinitenessproperties.

such that F defines the yield surface and A is given by
A-$cT{g)
with K being the work hardeningparameter.
In terms of (3.7), it follows that (2.10)can be recast
into the followingmore convenient form namely
A4 = tfL(Y)lAY -~“o[B*(Y)ITID~(Y)lA~
+eGN~TlME~GV
By in~~ucing self adaptive bounds on successive
solution iterates, a new constrained time-steppingal-
gorithm will be developed in this section, Specifically,
the procedure features the use of the NR algorithm
wherein the iteration process is bounded regardless of
the nature of the definitenessof the slope of the solution
space. To introduce the overall procedure, discussions
will be given on:
(i) The primary constraint condition;
(ii) The development of the cormtrainedtime-stepping
algorithm;
(ii) The generalizedform of the algorithm;
dc (iv) Associated convergence criteria and secondary
(3.10) constraints.
382 and S. TOVICHAKCHNKLIL
J. PADOVAN

4.1 Primary constraint condition

To set the stage for the forthcoming development,the
stress is segregated into its elastic-plastic and creep-
plastic components. This is achieved by employing the
incrementalstress definedby (3.7)to yield

S(Yu)= sW(Yu)- &(Yli) (4.1)

where

S~Wr)= S(ao)+a[4(Yn-,)l[B*(Y”-,)lAY”
(4.2) Fig. 1. Pseudo-force deflection space.

&(Yu) = %(YIo)+ I, [JMYu--I)lAk(ood,a,, tu--1,Atu) (3) Locates the target hyper plane whose intersection
F
(4.3) with the solution curve defines the I t lth solution.
As the NR iteration process continues, Fig. 1, suc-
such that cessive driving potentials tend to be well behaved when
there is an intersection of the L-1 t AL target hyper-
I-, *k plane and the solutionhyper curve (SHC).Whenno such
&(YlO)= [D,(Ykr-l)][B*(Ykj-I)]AYkj intersection exists, successive iterates will exhibit
V-1 -I
(4.4) anomalousbehavior. To circumvent such situations,the
present work considers the use of constrained target
I-I *k hyper surfaces (CTHS) which are closed. Such a pro-
&(YIo) = g,F, [D,(Yw-r)lAkh, cm,tw, AM. perty ensures the intersectionbetween the CTHS and the
SHC.
(4.5)
As we seek a self-adaptiveprocedure, the CTHS must
In terms of (4.1), (2.5) can be altered to the following possess the requisite.warpability-flexibilityto ensure in-
form tersection with the solution hyper curve. In this context,
following Padovan[9], a hyperelliptic surface is
employed to bound successive iterates in pseudo-force
L(Y)=
I
vo lB*(Y)I=&(Y) dr (4.6) deflection space. Noting Fig. 2, the elliptic constrained
target hyper surface (ECTHS)is given by
where the pseudo force L(Y) combinesboth the external
SClVIIz~‘+14l~llS’ = (IlAW’ (4.11)
appliedloads as well as creep effects namely

Ilull = [F(yi)2]1’2 (4.12)

L(Y)=4+ v. 1B*(Y)l=SW’) do. (4.7)
I

The space formed by L(Y, 9) and Y will be used to set
up the requisite algorithms.In terms of (4.7), the NR
algorithmtakes the form
[I&JAY = AL
(4.8)
where for the first iteration of the Ith step
where f and y are defined in local pseudo force-
deflection space and AL is the incrementalpseudo force
associatedwith the given time increment.
The ECTHS can be warped by the appropriateupdates
of 13and CLas will be seen later. In addition,it can also
be rotated. This can be achieved by determining the
& A

AL=A4+
I vo
[B*]‘A&,, du (4.9)
II%II
N
l’d’ ZOLUTION

such that

AS,, = [D.,.Wo)lALcbe,,rcm,ho,Ah). (4.10)

Since the constrained procedure employed must not

alter the history of the overall process, like Padovan[9]
who studiedelastic problems,the approach taken here is
to bound successivedependent variable excursions dur-
ing the iterative process. Here such constrained field
variable increments can then be used to interactively
adjust the time step sixe for the given iteration.
To motivate the constraint, it follows from Fig. 1 that
AL serves to:
(1) Definethe initialdriving potential of the NR; Fig. 2. Expanded/contracted ECTHS in pseudo-force deflection
(2) Establish the anticipated loading at tu t At”; and space.
 On the solution of creep induced bucklingin generalstructure 383

The choice of fl is essentiallyto ensure that the slope

driven extrapolationsof the solution hyper curve via the
NR intersects the ECTHS. If not, fl is decreased so as to
allow ordinate seeing of the ~s~t surface. Due
to the nature of the surface chosen, this is possible
without changingthe uniform upper bound on AY.

4.2. Dcvclopmentof constrainedtime steppingalgorithm

For the first iteration of the Ith time step, the asso-
ciated ECTHS is definedby the inner product relation

/P ~~~~112)2
+ /4lft :lld2 = @~:1ld’. (4.22)

I ROTATED ECTHS

llyll
t
Assumingan initial time step size of A&in terms of Rg.
4, the intersection of the ECTHS and SHC yields the
following definition of the various inner products ap
Fig. 3, Rotated ECTHS. pearingin (4.22),namely

slope of the solution hyperspace in the inner product

space associated with pseudo forcedetlection coor-
dinates. In terms of Fig. 3, this yields the angularorien-
tation:
f: = A&J2 (4.24)

yt = [K~(h)l~‘h~Af: (4.25)

Employing(4.13),p and f can be mapped into such that (A&O, 11represents a singleparameterbound
on the displacement excursion. Employing(4.22H4.25)
y’ = cos (@y + sin (st)f (4.14) we have that

f ’= - sin (fi)y + cos (O)f (4.15) (IlAG11d2 t/2

where the ECTHS takes the form

All= *
{ ~&Lflld2t I
c~~(~I[KT(Y~o)I-‘~~IIz)~
(4.26)

= (llA%)“.
B@‘1D2+ ~(l!r’ll-L)’ (4.16) hence

In regular (y,fi space we have that (4.16)reduces to Yt, = Yrot AYI, f4.27)

Mllfll2>‘+ &=f + S2~lWl2)’ = (llA%12 (4.17) where

where

61= fi cosz (St)+ &8sin2(Q) (4.18) Due both to the inherent non~ne~~ arising from
kinematic-rnate~~ sources as well as the boun~ng
i$2 = 2(p - fl) cos (a) sin (0) (4.19) nature of the ECTHS, the full At, is not utilizedduringa

& = fi sin2(0) t p cos’ iI). (4.20)

The proper selection of /3 and p can be tied to the

local cake of the solution hyper space. In this
context, as &+o”, ~1should approach UJif successive
iterates are themselvesto remain bounded. Since round-
off is standard to all computers, a singular[K.J is highly
unlikely. Hence, ~(0,) will typically remain bounded
during the calculation flow. The actual function p(Q) is
arbitrary within the foregoing limiting constraints. For
convenience, the AY associated with in~vid~ time
incrementscan be uniformly bounded to remain within a
given range. This is possible by selectinga reference A Y
and [Kg] which form the upper bound. In this context,
for convenience we let

Fig. 4. First two iterationsof con&minedagproach.

384 J. PAMVAN
andS. TOVICHAKCHAIKUL

given increment. To determine the portion of Art used, and

the amount of load unbalance can be employed to est-
ablish the requisite proportionalities. In this context, p: = AYi,•t L(Y1o)l-‘(h~2i\L: - 7:) (4.48)
noting Fig. 4, the ratio definingthe portion of At utilized
takes the form such that

(4.29) 7: =
Ivo~[B*(Y~,)lT~(Y~~)-IB*(Yta)lT~(~o)~du
(4.41)
where
Solving (4.38)for the single parameter bound on the
displacement excursion yields the following quadratic
I
I-: = vo{[B*tY,~)ITSe,4Y~~)-[B*tYto)lTS,tYd} du
(4.30)
polynomialnamely

such that
where the definingcoefficientsare given by
s,,(Y,,) = &(Yd+ [D,(Y~o)l[B*(Y~o)lA~~.
(4.31)
6 :2= B,(llAZ&‘-t AL:~,((I[~~(Y*oI~-‘AL:~~~~
(4.43)
EmpIo~g (4.29), the correct total time associated
with the ECTHS bounded displacement field Yrl is V&4WI-‘7:)
e:, = ~~tll([i<,(Yto)l-‘AL:)*tAB1-
definedby
+ (AIL - [I&( Ifo)l-*r’S=[K,( X0)1-‘A
I.$ (4.44)
trI = ho + Atr, (4.32)
0:2= IL((~AYu
- &(Y10))-$‘:\(2)~- (llAL~l12)2
where the actual time step utilized takes the form (4.45)

A&l= &A&. (4.33) Employing(4.42),we see that

Based on (4.33),the total stress state associated with A12

= j-j& {-et* [(t$)“-46:26:2]“3. (4.46)
the pair (kl, Y,,) is given by

S(YU)=S4P(Yll,rI*)-Scp~Yll, hi) (4.34) The choice of signs appearingin (4.46)depends on the

de~~teness of [I&.]. Hence, for positive definite situa-
where tions, the largestroot is alwaysused while the opposite is
the case for negativedefinite situations.
sc*(Yr1,kl) = ScPtylo) Based on the choice of h12,the constrained displace-
ment excursion for the iteration is given by
+ [D.,(Yo)lA&(u.d,e=t tto,Akl). (4.35)

To start the next iteration, the driving potential must AY12=[KT(Bo)I-‘&AL~- $I) (4.47)
be updated since the creep associatedwith trI is based on
a stress and strain state incrementallydiierent from that ana hence, the total displacementtakes the form
at tIo.Notingthat the time remainingin the Ith increment
is given by Y,2= Y,rtAY,z. (4.48)

Ar12=(1-hk,)Ar, (4.36) As before, due both to material-kinematicnonlinearity

and the boundingnature of the ECTHS, only a portion of
it follows that ALi takes the form At8is utilized. To determine the proper pro~~on~ity,
the amount of load unbalanceassociated with the newly
AL: = A~(~Io,A~I)+ v. W*(W*(Scp(Y~2) contracted-expandedECTHS must be calculated.In this
I context, the requisite ratio definingthe remainingportion
of At, utilizedis givenby the relation
+ [D,(Y~~)lAIc(uod,
tbo tlr+Anz))
- [B*(Y~~)l*~*(
Yo))de (4.37) (4.49)
Hence, dependingon the relationshipbetween the Eucl-
idean norms 11AL$ and l[AL!l12, the ECTHS is either wherein
expanded or contracted. In terms of Fig. 4, its defining
relation is given by
F: = vO~IB*(X2)l=%(~2)- IB+(Ki)l*&(Y,,)~du
I
(4.50)
wherein
$: = AL: -~vO~~B*(Y,,)lT&(Y~,)
f: = AI&: (4.39) - [B*(Y~o)l=s.,(Yro)~du (4.51)
 Onthe solutionof creepinducedbackbagin generalstructure 3#
such that {ii) Ev~uation of infection between ECTHS and
SH(3:

i-l
Employing A& the correct time associated with the
YGfield is given by 9:=F
_,AYs+fK,(Yto)J-‘(&A&f- &I) (4.61)

(ii) Evahmtion of single parameter bound on dis-

Hence, the total stress state associated with the pair placementexcsr$onsz
(LIZ,YIZ)is given by
J-O
fI:(A#S B:A,r+ BU - (4.63)
NY& kz)= scp(Yrz>
- &,(Yr%,k3 (4.55)

such that

f cz AYu- [K~~a~)l-‘r:--d~K,(u,~)l-lAt:)
The time remaining in the Ith increment after the
second iteration is given by 14.65)
I-1
A~3=(i-~~1-Ak~l-Ab3)Ak (4.57) e’,=czr AYIJ-&I 2- ~IA~~ll~~’(4.66)
-1
CIIC I)5
This time can be used to initiate the third iteration as
well as all the h&her order iterations as required by the A,,=~~-6~+I(B:)‘-48).eb117. (4.67)
convergencecriteria.

4.3 Generalizedconstrained lime steppingofgo~thm (iv) Displacementexcursion:

Contin~g the process started in the pre~ding sub-
sections, in terms of Yig. 5, it can be shown that the YB=YH-lfAYir, i=l,2,...,& (4.68)
algorithmic steps associated with the generalixed itb
iteration are given by: AYn= [K,(Y,oll-‘(ANAL!- +I> (4.69)
(i) Con~ctian~xp~sion of ECTHS:
(vf Ratio dc~ningAtt utilized during ith iteration:
AL!= A#(t,c, Ati)c ~{rB*(Yil-r)IT(6(Y~-1f
(4.70~

(4.58)
7: = ~B*~Y,~~lTS~(Y~)
- [B*(Yu-,$9&Y,-,, du
I VO
(4.59) (4.71)

*:=A&
- v~~B*(b-rllT~(~a-,~- rB*~~~~lT~~~o~~de
f
(4.72)

SW(K) = &(Yu-II
+ I~~tY,-slllB*(Ytr-I)IAYu. (4.73)

(vi) Time updated:

tir= &-I + Atu (4.74)

At~=~~~t~-~*A~~). (4.75f

(vii] Total stress updated:

s(Y”,t”~=~(Y~)-~(Yu*~) (4.76)
386 J. P~VAN and S. TOVICHAKCHAIKUL

Scp(YlI,hi) = Scp(Yli-1, h-1) convergence process. To tighten the iteration scheme,

t [&,(Y,i-,)lAL(u.d, e,, ta-1, AM.
(viii) Evaluation of remaining incremental time for
next iteration:
i ECTHS. Employing (4.83), (4.84) can be reduced to the
ATi+, = At, - Afk.
c-1
4.4 Associated convergence crireria and secondary con-
straints
For the present purposes, as advocated by
Padovan[l’l], the convergence criteria are employed in
two levels namely:
Level 1 Outright convergence checks of norm-inner
product type: and
Level 2. Tests which monitor the quality of the overall
convergence process.
The level one tests consist of the typical norm checks
of successive increments of displacements as well as of
successive load imbalances. Based on the current field
equations, it follows that the incremental displacement
norm check takes the form
(IAY&/llAY,i-,112
< cd
where in terms of (4.69), we have that
II[K,(Y,o)]-‘(ArrALf- 7f-1)lb
(I[&.( Y,o)l-l(A,,-,AL’i-, - 7:-3112<ed
such that ld is the lower bound tolerance of the test. In a
similar context, employing (4.58) and (4.62), the out of
balance load test is given by
such that ef is the lower bound tolerance of the test.
For the current purposes, the level two tests consist of
the monitoring of successive energy increments so as to
check for:
(i) The proper definiteness (negative, positive, semi)
and;
(ii) The rate of convergence characteristics.
In terms of Fig. 5, then energy association with the ith
iteration of the Ith load step is given by
AY,, is rewritten in the form
(4.77)
AYU+ qa AYI, (4.84)
where qlr is a factor which can be used to resize the
(4.78) following more convenient form namely
Et = E:(q,,, (v,)‘, (VU)?- WE:, + o((qu)? (4.85)
where
(4.86)
Ef = (AY,,)=#(Y,i-,).
In terms of (4.85), the foregoing energy ratio (4.83) can
be recast in the form
(4.87)
Note if successive energy iterates exceed (4.87), then the
ECTHS ordinate is resized so that CL, + ~II~I. This will
tighten the ECTHS thereby leading to improved con-
(4.79) vergence characteristics during subsequent iterations.
5INL3cu~~oFNuMElucAL~
To illustrate the capatilities of the constrained time
stepping scheme developed herein, the results of several
(4*80) numerical experiments will be presented. Specifically,
these will include the characterization of the structural
behavior of an arch subjected to long term exposure to
high temperatures wherein significant creep can occur. In
this context, special emphasis will be given to the evalu-
ation of:
(1) The convergence characteristics of the procedure;
(4.81) (2) The critical time to the onset of creep initiated
buckling-collapse;
(3) The pre-post buckling load deflection characteris-
tics;
(4) The mechanical fields associated with long term
creep effects;
(5) The time dependent energy characteristics in both
the pre-post buckling ranges.
Figure 6 illustrates the geometry, material properties
and FE discretization for an arch wherein the creep law

AE! = kAY,,)=(#(Yu)+ ~(YI,-I)) node elements

i = 1,2,3, . . . , A. (4.82) 63
62
61
To check the appropriateness of the definiteness
(negative, positive, semi) of successive energy incre-
ments, the nature of intersection of the ECTHS and the
SHC in inner product space can be used to establish a
global type comparison check. If the test is failed, the
ECTHS can be shrunken or expanded in the ordinate
dimension by raising or lowering the magnitude of CL.
The second test of level two consists of monitoring the
rate of convergence. For the current purposes, this is
achieved through the use of the relationship Thickness I .O

ER>& ,I 1
y 9=6.4x IO-” uq4 $ IN/IN

where the selection of lR can either tighten or loosen the Fig. 6. Geometry,propertiesand FE model of arch.
 On the solution of creep induced buckling in general structure 387

70 - In situations involving high temperature, creep can

i
7

Y--l initiate collapse at lower load levels. As noted earlier,

1. this is due to the fact that creep generated reshaping of
60 -
‘1 i
the arch causes a redistribution of the mechanical fields
‘,, thereby weakening the load bearing characteristics. To
\ I
50 illustrate the inherently stable characteristics of the cur-

g
A
40.
/
i
/
%‘I_,,,,
/’
rent approach, the calculation of the critical times
wherein collapse is encountered is considered in Figs.
8-12. Specifically, for an external load level of 37’lbs,
b Fig. 8 depicts the effects of size on the establishment of
0’ 30. i the proper deflection time characteristics of the arch. As
I
P can be seen, for At 5 0.09 hr, a critical time of 8.5 hr is
20 obtained where nearly infinite slope is obtained signify-
ing collapse. For larger At, (10’ larger), only mild drift is
encountered in the calculation of Lit.
IO
Note the straight NR time stepping scheme is unable
to generate such a characterization as unstable con-
vergence properties are consistently encountered in the
0 05 I .o I5
neighborhood of fEtit.This follows from the fact that at
8, Inches
such times, significant softening in the tangent properties
Fig. 7. Elastic load-deflectionresponse of arch. is encountered generally leading to negative definite
slopes and hence collapse. The current constrained ap-
proach is not hampered by such definiteness charac-
is given by teristics.
The self adaptive aspects of the constrained strategy
g = A(~e,,)~i= (5.1) follow from the fact that the initially chosen At incre-
ment is reduced via the constraint to yield properly
q = Ac(~)~i’-‘. (5.2) bounded field excursions. Figure 9 illustrates such
automatically sized time increments for various starting
For the arch depicted, eight noded isoparametric elements At. As can be seen, as t approaches Lit, the time step is
are used to generate the characterization. automatically reduced so as to uniformly bound the fields
To establish a basis from which to compare the long in the locality of times wherein the structural tangent
term effects of creep, Fii. 7 illustrates the purely elastic stiffness undergoes definiteness transitions. Based on
(Hookean) load deflection characteristics on a centrally At I 0.08’ hr, the creep generated time dependent shape
loaded arch undergoing both pre and post buckling. As of the arch is given in Fig. 10. As can be seen, significant
can be seen, the onset of buckling occurs at P = 60’ lbs snap through is encountered during the buckling-col-
of loading wherein the associated central deflection is lapse.
&,.a= 0.4’ in. For smaller deflections, the tangent For higher loads tctit is significantly reduced thereby
stiffness behavior is positive but monotone decreasing leading to early collapse. Figures 11 and 12 depict the
while for larger, negative then positive definite charac- convergence characteristics of the constrained scheme
teristics are encountered. These results were obtained for such situations. As before, the proper solution
through the use of the current constrained time stepping behavior in displacement-time space is marked by nearly
approach wherein creep effects were suppressed. infinite slopes where negative definite tangent properties

z- @ At = 0.676 HRS
@ At= 0.436 HRS
F
02.0- @ At= o.0676HRS
Z
.zF
'CI

Z
W
0
CRITICAL TIME

0123456789 IO II 12 13 14 I5 16
TIME (HRS)

Fig. 8. Prelpostbueldeddeflection history of moderately loaded arch undergoing creep effects.

388 J. PADOVAN
and S. TOVICHAKCHMKUL

@ At = 0.0676 HRS CRITICALTIME

OL. *'. . '. .,

0123456769 IO II 12 13 14 I5 16
TIME (HR.%

Fig 9. Self adaptivetime step adjustmentby constrainedprocedure;moderatelyloaded arch (Pa1 = 54.21bs).

are encountered. Here again, the straight NR scheme

totally fails.
The self adaptive aspects of the constrained scheme
can be seen from Fig. 12 wherein the algoritbmicaU~
reduced At are illustrated. Again,as t approach kt, At
is automaticallyreduced so as to yield uniformly boun-
ded Beldsduring definitenesschanges.
The local d&&ion characteristicsof the arch in true
load-de5e&n space are illustratedin Figs. 13and 14.As
At -0.0676 HRS
can be seen, once the pair t&k, (central deflection)is
reached, collapse is initiated. Here unload-reloadis used
to illustrate the post buckling behavior of the arch. In
\ both cases depicted, in spite of the fact that creep causes
an earlier onset of collapse, once the initial stages of
t = 12.9HRS
snap through are completed,the remainingpost-buckling
behavior is similarto that of the purely elastic case.
Figures 15-18 illustrate the manner in which strain
energy is stored in the arch duringboth the pre and post
FQ. 10. Examples of pre and postbuckledarch profilea. buckling modes of loading. As can be seen, while the

(D At = 0.676 HRS
Ql At = 0.436 HRS
@At = 0.1314HRS

P= 54.2L6S

0 I 2 3 4 5 6 7 6 9 IO I( I2 I3 14
TIME(HRS)

Fig. 11. Pre/poetbuckkddeflectionhistory of heavily loaded arch undergoing creepeffc&s.

 On the solutionof creepinducedbucklingin generalstructure 389

I 3
TIME (l-k&)
Fig. 12. Self adaptivetime stepadjustmentby constrainedprocedure;heavily loaded arch.

4&O-

ao- _fo.o.
z
I

50- m”s2.0.
A
340 - z 24.0.
2
1.
cl
B
SO- -J ILO.

t%
0
j a.0.

0
0 0.4
CENTR% D;&Tl% [INP

Fig. 15. Globalenergy storage;moderatelyloadedarch.

Fii. 13. Creep effects on load deflection behavior; moderately

loaded arch. global energy is monotone increasing throughout the
creep-loading process, significant internal unloading can
occur locally in the arch when t is in the neighborhood of
the critical time. Note such unloading occurs both prior
to as well as after L. This behavior contributes directly
to load softening and indefiniteness in the various par-
titions of [K,] associated with the unloading portions of
the arch. Ultimately, at k, the localized softening leads
to global indefiniteness in [&,I and hence to collapse.
For the straight NR type algorithm, the foregoing
localized softening-indefiniteness leads to the generation
of spurious excursions in the various associated par-
titions of Y. As the softening deepens, such anomalous
behavior tends to cause uncontrollable drift which leads
to a failure to converge. The current constrained ap-
proach prohibits such spurious local excursions by uni-
formly bounding successive iterates.

Through the use of a constrained target hyper surface,

Fig. 14. Creepeffects on load-deflectionbehavior;heavily loaded
arch.
a new time stepping algorithm has been developed which
permits the stable as well as efficient solution of the
mechanical behavior of structure subject to long term
high temperature fields wherein creep effects become
sign&ant. Due to the generality of the procedure
390 J. PADOVAN
and S. TOVICHAKCHAIKUL

Fig. 16. Local strain energy storage; moderately loaded arch (Elements l-6).
 On the saMion of creepin&d buckling in general
structure

Fig. 17. Local strtin energy storage; moderately loaded arch @lements 7-12).
392 J. PAMVANand S. TOVICHAKCHAIKUL
developed, creep initiated pre-post buckling behavior can
be handled. This includes the possibility of treating both
kinematic and material nonlinearity such that the effects
of nonlinear elasticity-plasticity and creep can be ac-
commodated by the new algorithm. While a finite ele-
ment formulation has been used herein, the generality of
the constrained time stepping approach is such that it
applies equally well to finite difference simulations of
such problems.
Acknowledgement-The fist author gratefully acknowledges the
many fruitful discussions with Chris Chamis of NASA Lewis
which stimulatedthis effort.
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