Chapter-7: Energy Principle & Variational Methods

7.1 Strain-Energy Stored in Deformable Linear Elastic Body:

• Internal work done by forces on cubic element of deformable body made
of linear elastic material is given by
--(a)
--(b)
-Thus, U0 is the amount of internal work per unit volume, or strain-energy
stored per unit volume. The derivation of U0 is given as follow:
• Internal work by stress-components on 6-faces of cubic element is

--(c)
and, internal work by body forces is
--(d)
Therefore, total internal work on cubic element is sum of Eqs.(c) & (d); and
carrying out differentiation in Eq.(c) the total internal work becomes:

--(e) 1
Chapter-7: Energy Principles & Variational Methods --Cont’d
-But on account of Eqns of equilibrium from Eq.(e), brackets multiplying u,
v, w are zero. From strain-displacement relation, the quantities multiplying
stress components are strain components. Thus, total internal work on
element reduced to:

which are the same equations given in Eqs.(a) & (b). By means of Hooke’s
law, we can express U0 as a function of stress components only. Then,

--(f)
-Also, we can express U0 as a function of strain-components only. Then,
--(g)
in which
This form of equation shows that U0 is always positive.
-Derivative of U0 (Eq.(g)) w.r.t. strain-component gives the corresponding
stress-component. Thus, using stress-strain relation, we can find
& 4more Eqns.
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 Chapter-7: Energy Principles & Variational Methods --Cont’d
-For plane stress problem (zz=xz=yz=0), we have from Eq.(f) that:

-Total strain energy U of deformable body is obtained from strain energy

per unit volume U0 by integration as:

7.2 Variational Methods (Principle of Minimum Potential Energy):

• Potential energy  stored in deformable bodies is given by

• Assuming gradual application of loading (see figure below), strain energy

stored in linear elastic bodies is given by

and, the corresponding complementary strain energy

-For linear elastic deformable bodies, u0=u0*

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 Chapter-7: Energy Principles & Variational Methods --Cont’d
• Consider stress-components &the resulting strain-components on cubic
element in matrix form to obtain linear strain energy stored in element as

and, volume of element dV=dx.dy.dz

-then, strain energy stored per unit volume of element is given by

-Substituting stress-components in terms of strain-components as =D. ,

strain energy stored per unit volume of element becomes:

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 Chapter-7: Energy Principles & Variational Methods --Cont’d
-Therefore, total strain energy stored in linear elastic bodies is obtained by
integrating strain energy of element over the volume of bodies as:

and, total strain energy U in terms of strain-components as:

-Therefore, potential energy  is obtained as:

• Let surface forces p and deformations u in the direction of these forces,

-then, external work done by surface forces is given by:

-therefore, one can write potential energy  as:

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 Chapter-7: Energy Principles & Variational Methods --Cont’d
-If body forces b are included, expression of potential energy  as

• The principle of minimum potential energy state that: “for the deformable
body to be in state of stable equilibrium (figure below), potential energy 
has to be the minimum”.

-If potential energy of body is expressed in terms of dof’s d1, d2, d3, ..., dn

-from chain-rule, we have



 One form of equilibrium Eqn. for problems!

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 Chapter-7: Energy Principles & Variational Methods --Cont’d
7.3 Energy Principles:
• -

-From chain-rule,  in terms of dof’s d1, d2, d3, ... as

 Variational principle and Virtual Work are related.

• Many approximate methods including FE Method in equilibriums of Solids
can be derived /developed using -functional & =0.

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 Chapter-7: Energy Principles & Variational Methods --Cont’d
7.4 Weighted Residual Method  Galerkin’s Method:
• Consider a deformable body with boundary  & in domain of  as shown
below subjected to force system. The governing Eqns. in domain of  are:

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Chapter-7: Energy Principles & Variational Methods --Cont’d
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