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A study of the behaviour of shear deformable plate finite elements is carried out to determine why and under what conditions these elements lock, or become overly stiff. A new analytical technique is developed to derive the exact form of the shear constraints which are imposed on an element when its side‐to‐thickness ratio is large. The constraints are expressed in terms of the nodal degrees of freedom, and are interpreted as being either the proper Kirchhoff constraints or spurious locking constraints. To gain a better understanding of locking phenomena, the constraints which arise under full and reduced integration are derived for various plate elements. These include bilinear, biquadratic, eight‐node serendipity and heterosis elements. These analytical findings are compared with numerical results of isotropic and laminated composite plates, verifying the role that shear constraints play in determining the behaviour of thin shear deformable elements. The results of the present study lead to definitive conclusions regarding the origin of locking phenomena and the effect of reduced integration.

Gives a bibliographical review of the finite element methods (FEMs) applied for the linear and nonlinear, static and dynamic analyses of basic structural elements from the theoretical as well as practical points of view. The range of applications of FEMs in this area is wide and cannot be presented in a single paper; therefore aims to give the reader an encyclopaedic view on the subject. The bibliography at the end of the paper contains 2,025 references to papers, conference proceedings and theses/dissertations dealing with the analysis of beams, columns, rods, bars, cables, discs, blades, shafts, membranes, plates and shells that were published in 1992‐1995.

Contact problems are among the most difficult ones in mechanics. Due to its practical importance, the problem has been receiving extensive research work over the years. The finite element method has been widely used to solve contact problems with various grades of complexity. Great progress has been made on both theoretical studies and engineering applications. This paper reviews some of the main developments in contact theories and finite element solution techniques for static contact problems. Classical and variational formulations of the problem are first given and then finite element solution techniques are reviewed. Available constraint methods, friction laws and contact searching algorithms are also briefly described. At the end of the paper, a bibliography is included, listing about seven hundred papers which are related to static contact problems and have been published in various journals and conference proceedings from 1976.

Numerous finite elements are proposed based on analytical solutions. However, it is difficult to find the solutions for complicated governing equations. This paper aims to present a novel formulation in the framework of assumed stress quasi-conforming method for the static and free vibration analysis of anisotropic and symmetric laminated plates.

Firstly, an initial stress approximation ruled by 17 parameters, which satisfies the equilibrium equations is derived to improve the performance of the constructed element. Then the stress matrix is treated as the weighted function to weaken the strain-displacement equations. Finally, the Timoshenko’s laminated composite beam functions are adopted as boundary string-net functions for strain integration.

Several numerical examples are presented to show the performance of the new element, and the results obtained are compared with other available ones. Numerical results have proved that the new element is free from shear locking and possesses high accuracy for the analysis of anisotropic and symmetric laminated plates.

This paper proposes a new QC element for the static and free vibration analysis of anisotropic and symmetric laminated plates. In contrast with the complicated analytical solutions of the equilibrium equations, an initial stress approximation ruled by 17 parameters is adopted here. The Timoshenkos laminated composite beam functions are introduced as boundary string-net functions for strain integration. Numerical results demonstrate the new element is free from shear locking and possesses high accuracy for the analysis of anisotropic and symmetric laminated plates.

Most studies of power‐law fluids are carried out using stress‐based system of Navier‐Stokes equations; and least‐squares finite element models for vorticity‐based equations of power‐law fluids have not been explored yet. Also, there has been no study of the weak‐form Galerkin formulation using the reduced integration penalty method (RIP) for power‐law fluids. Based on these observations, the purpose of this paper is to fulfill the two‐fold objective of formulating the least‐squares finite element model for power‐law fluids, and the weak‐form RIP Galerkin model of power‐law fluids, and compare it with the least‐squares finite element model.

For least‐squares finite element model, the original governing partial differential equations are transformed into an equivalent first‐order system by introducing additional independent variables, and then formulating the least‐squares model based on the lower‐order system. For RIP Galerkin model, the penalty function method is used to reformulate the original problem as a variational problem subjected to a constraint that is satisfied in a least‐squares (i.e. approximate) sense. The advantage of the constrained problem is that the pressure variable does not appear in the formulation.

The non‐Newtonian fluids require higher‐order polynomial approximation functions and higher‐order Gaussian quadrature compared to Newtonian fluids. There is some tangible effect of linearization before and after minimization on the accuracy of the solution, which is more pronounced for lower power‐law indices compared to higher power‐law indices. The case of linearization before minimization converges at a faster rate compared to the case of linearization after minimization. There is slight locking that causes the matrices to be ill‐conditioned especially for lower values of power‐law indices. Also, the results obtained with RIP penalty model are equally good at higher values of penalty parameters.

Vorticity‐based least‐squares finite element models are developed for power‐law fluids and effects of linearizations are explored. Also, the weak‐form RIP Galerkin model is developed.

The purpose of this study is to extend a novel numerical method proposed by the first author, known as the dual mesh control domain method (DMCDM), for the solution of linear differential equations to the solution of nonlinear heat transfer and like problems in one and two dimensions.

In the DMCDM, a mesh of finite elements is used for the approximation of the variables and another mesh of control domains for the satisfaction of the governing equation. Both meshes fully cover the domain but the nodes of the finite element mesh are inside the mesh of control domains. The salient feature of the DMCDM is that the concept of duality (i.e. cause and effect) is used to impose boundary conditions. The method possesses some desirable attributes of the finite element method (FEM) and the finite volume method (FVM).

Numerical results show that he DMCDM is more accurate than the FVM for the same meshes used. Also, the DMCDM does not require the use of any ad hoc approaches that are routinely used in the FVM.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the idea presented in this work is original and novel that exploits the best features of the best competing methods (FEM and FVM). The concept of duality is used to apply gradient and mixed boundary conditions that FVM and its variant do not.

The purpose of this paper is to scrutinize the effects of nonlinear thermal radiation and thermal stratification effects on the flow of three-dimensional Eyring-Powell 36 nm alumina-water nanofluid within the thin boundary layer in the presence of quartic autocatalytic kind of chemical reaction effects, and to unravel the effects of a magnetic field parameter, random motion of the tiny nanoparticles and volume fraction on the flow.

The chemical reaction between homogeneous (Eyring-Powell 36 nm alumina-water) bulk fluid and heterogeneous (three molecules of the catalyst at the surface) in the flow of magnetohydrodynamic three-dimensional flow is modeled as a quartic autocatalytic kind of chemical reaction. The electromagnetic radiation which occurs within the boundary layer is treated as the nonlinear form due to the fact that Taylor series expansion may not give full details of such effects within the boundary layer. With the aid of appropriate similarity variables, the nonlinear coupled system of partial differential equation which models the flow was reduced to ordinary differential equation boundary value problem.

A favorable agreement of the present results is obtained by comparing it for a limiting case with the published results; hence, reliable results are presented. The concentration of homogeneous bulk fluid (Eyring-Powell nanofluid) increases and decreases with ϕ and P_r, respectively. The increase in the value of magnetic field parameter causes vertical and horizontal velocities of the flow within the boundary layer to decrease significantly. The decrease in the vertical and horizontal velocities of Eyring-Powell nanofluid flow within the boundary layer is guaranteed due to an increase in the value of M. Concentration of homogeneous fluid increases, while the concentration of the heterogeneous catalyst at the wall decreases with M.

Considering the industrial applications of thermal stratification in solar engineering and polymer processing where the behavior of the flow possesses attributes of Eyring-Powell 36 nm alumina-water, this paper presents the solution of the flow problem considering 36 nm alumina nanoparticles, thermophoresis, stratification of thermal energy, Brownian motion and nonlinear thermal radiation. In addition, the aim and objectives of this paper fill such vacuum in the industry.

A new laminated composite plate finite element is proposed that is numerically stable and accurate in displacements and stresses, including transverse shear stress. The formulation is based on the Hellinger—Reissner principle with Mindlin kinematics. All stress components are given independent approximations and do not satisfy equilibrium conditions a priori. A novel feature of the formulation is the additive decomposition of the displacement field into two parts corresponding to nodal interpolations and independent local basis functions. The additional basis functions and their associated parameters play an important role in characterizing the accuracy of the element. These functions eliminate shear locking in the lower order elements and provide additional variational constraints on the stresses, leading to very accurate results. A 4‐node and a 9‐node version are developed and it is shown that both elements pass the patch test suggested by Zienkiewicz et al. and are stable in the sense of the Babuška—Brezzi condition. The special structure of the element flexibility matrix provides computational efficiency approaching that of displacement based formulations.

In recent years, nanofluids are being widely used in many thermal systems because of their higher thermal conductivity and heat transfer rate. The higher thermal conductivity depends on many parameters such as size, shape and volume and the Brownian motion and thermophoresis of added nanoparticles. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the influence of the Brownian motion and thermophoresis on natural convection heat and mass transfer boundary layer flow of nanofluids over a vertical cone with radiation.

Using similarity variables, the non-linear partial differential equations, which represent momentum, energy and diffusion, are transformed into ordinary differential equations. The transformed conservation equations are solved numerically subject to the boundary conditions by using versatile, extensively validated, variational finite-element method.

The sway of significant parameters such as magnetic field (M), buoyancy ratio parameter (Nr), Brownian motion parameter (Nb), thermophoresis parameter (Nt), thermal radiation (R), Lewis number (Le) and chemical reaction parameter (Cr) on velocity, temperature and concentration evaluation in the boundary layer region is examined in detail. The results are compared with previously published work and are found to be in agreement. The velocity distributions are reduced, while temperature and concentration profiles elevate with a higher (M). With the improving values of (R), the velocity and temperature sketches improve, while concentration distributions are lowered in the boundary layer region. The temperature and concentration profiles are elevated in the boundary layer region for higher values of (Nt). With the increasing values of (Nb), temperature profiles are enhanced, whereas concentration profiles get depreciated in the flow region.

In recent years, it has been found that magneto-nanofluids are significant in many areas of science and technology. It has applications in optical modulators, magnetooptical wavelength filters, tunable optical fiber filters and optical switches. Magnetic nanoparticles are especially useful in biomedicine, sink float separation, cancer therapy, etc. Specific biomedical applications involving nanofluids include hyperthermia, magnetic cell separation, drug delivery and contrast enhancement in magnetic resonance imaging.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, no studies have assessed the impact of the two slip effects, namely, Brownian motion and thermophoresis, on the natural convection of electrically conducted heat and mass transfer to the nanofluid boundary layer flow over a vertical cone in the presence of radiation and chemical reaction; therefore, this problem has been addressed in this study. Comparison of the results of this study’s with those of previously published work was found to be in good agreement.

This paper gives a review of the finite element techniques (FE) applied in the area of material processing. The latest trends in metal forming, non‐metal forming and powder metallurgy are briefly discussed. The range of applications of finite elements on the subjects is extremely wide and cannot be presented in a single paper; therefore the aim of the paper is to give FE users only an encyclopaedic view of the different possibilities that exist today in the various fields mentioned above. An appendix included at the end of the paper presents a bibliography on finite element applications in material processing for the last five years, and more than 1100 references are listed.