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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.

The purpose of this paper is mainly to know: (1) the sound absorption coefficient of porous composite structures constituted by a new kind of lightweight ceramic foam and perforated plate; (2) the availability of an equivalent porous material model, recently proposed by the present author, to these composite structures in sound absorption.

A kind of lightweight ceramic foam with bulk density of 0.38–0.56 g·cm-3 was produced by means of molding, drying and sintering. The effect of stainless steel perforated plate on sound absorption performance of the ceramic foam was investigated by means of JTZB absorption tester.

The results indicate that the sound absorption performance could be obviously changed by adding the stainless steel perforated plate in front of the porous samples and the air gap in back of the porous samples. Adding the perforated plate to the porous sample with a relatively large pore size, the sound absorption performance could be evidently improved for the composite structure. When the air gap is added to the composite structure, the first absorption peak shifts to the lower frequency, and the sound absorption coefficient could increase in the low frequency range.

Based on the equivalent porous material model and the “perforated plate with air gap” model, the sound absorption performance of the composite structures can be simulated conveniently to a great extent by using Johnson-Champoux-Allard model.

Stab-resistant body armor (SRBA) can protect the human body from injury as a result of stabbing by sharp projectiles. However, in its current design SRBA, it has not been widely adopted for use, because of its weight and poor flexibility. Herein, this paper aims to detail a new type of SRBA that is inspired by the armor plating of mammals and is fabricated using laser sintering (LS) technology.

This new type of SRBA was fabricated using LS technology. The laser sintered SRBA was subjected to a stab resistance performance test that conformed to the GA 68-2008 Chinese National Standard. The stab resistance response of the novel structured, stab resistance test plates in this study was analyzed using the using the AUTODYN explicit module in ANSYS-Workbench.

The structure of the novel stab resistance plate was designed and the optimum structural parameters were tested, discussed and achieved. The mechanism of dissipation of the impact energy by the pyramidal structures of the novel SRBA was studied, and it was found that this structure dispersed the kinetic energy of the knife and minimized the structural damage to the plate. Interlinks inspired by the pangolin hierarchy structure were designed and used to fabricate a large piece of laser sintered body armor.

High-performance laser sintered stab resistance plate was produced via the material and structure studies, which could reduce 40 per cent weight on the stab resistance body armor and increase the wearability.

Nowadays, in building structures, dampers are connected to the building structure to reduce the damages caused by seismicity in addition to enhancing structural stability, and to connect dampers with the structure, joints are used. In this paper, three different configurations of double-lap joints were designed, developed and tested.

This paper aims to analyze three different categories of double-lap single-bolted joints that are used in connecting dampers with concrete and steel frame structures. These joints were designed and tested using computational, numerical and experimental methods. The studies were conducted to examine the reactions of the joints during loading conditions and to select the best joints for the structures that allow easy maintenance of the dampers and also withstand structural deformation when the damper is active during seismicity. Also, a computational analysis was performed on the designed joints integrated with the M25 concrete beam column junction. In this investigation, experimental study was carried out in addition to numerical and computational methods during cyclic load.

It was observed from the result that during deformation the double-base multiplate lap joint was suitable for buildings because the deformations on the joint base was negligible when compared with other joints. From the computational analysis, it was revealed that the three double joints while integrated with the beam column junction of M25 grade concrete structure, the damages induced by the double-base multiplate joint was negligible when compared with other two joints used in this study.

To prevent the collapse of the building during seismicity, dampers are used and further connecting the damper with the building structures, joints are used. In this paper, three double-lap joints in different design configuration were studied using computational, numerical and experimental techniques.

The paper aims to report a fire test conducted on a three-dimensional frame in order to investigate the behaviour of bare steel flush end-plate connections with relatively low thickness at elevated temperatures.

A half-scale model was fabricated and exposed to modified (scaled) ISO 834 heating curve using a semi-open furnace. The maximum temperature inside the furnace reached 1,026 °C.

The rotations of connections are reported and compared with those of a previous study on an exactly the same model with thick end-plates. Various modes of failure such as local buckling of the beams flanges and lateral-torsional buckling of beams were observed during the test. Finally, the structure collapsed after 29 min of heating due to the fracture of weld between one of the beams and one of its attached end-plates whilst the other beam had undergone a maximum deflection of 35 cm (≈ 1/6 span length). Other observed failure modes included bolt fracture, bolt thread stripping and large inelastic deformation of the end-plates.

Although the adoption of thin end-plates increased the rotational capacity of the connections, it did not improve the robustness of the structure under fire conditions.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a general mathematical model for the evaluation of the bending and vibration responses of the skew sandwich composite plate using higher-order shear deformation theory. The sandwich structural components are highly preferable in modern engineering application because of their desirable structural advantages despite the manufacturing and analysis complexities. The present model is developed to solve the bending and vibration problem of the skew sandwich composite plate with adequate accuracy numerically in the absence of the experimental analysis.

The skew sandwich composite plate structure is modelled in the present analysis by considering laminated face sheet in conjunction with isotropic and/or orthotropic core numerically with the help of the higher-order mathematical model. Further, the responses are computed numerically with the help of in-house computer code developed in matrix laboratory (MATLAB) environment in conjunction with finite element (FE) steps. The system governing equations are derived via variational technique for the computation of the static and the frequency responses.

The skew sandwich composite plate is investigated using the higher-order kinematic model where the transverse displacement through the thickness is considered to be linear. The convergence and the validation study of the bending and the frequency values of the sandwich structure indicate the necessary accuracy. Further, the current model has been used to highlight the applicability of the higher-order kinematics for the evaluation of the sandwich structural responses (frequency and static deflections) for different design parameters.

In the present paper, the bending and the vibration responses of the skew sandwich composite plate are analysed numerically using the equivalent single-layer higher-order kinematic theory for the isotropic and the orthotropic core numerically with the help of isoparametric FE steps. Finally, it is understood that the present model is capable of solving the sandwich structural responses with less computation cost and adequate accuracy.

Stiffened plates have been widely used in civil, marine, aerospace engineering. As a kind of thin-walled structure operating in complex environment, stiffened plates mostly undergo a variety of dynamic loads, which may sometimes result in large-amplitude vibration. Additionally, initial stresses and geometric imperfections are widespread in this type of structure. Furthermore, it is universally known that initial stresses and geometric imperfections may affect mechanical behavior of structures severely, particularly in dynamic analysis. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to study the stress variation rule of a stiffened plate during large-amplitude vibration considering initial stresses and geometric imperfections.

The initial stresses are represented in the form of initial bending moments applying to the stiffened plate, while the initial geometric imperfections are considered by means of trigonometric series, and they are assumed existing in the plate along the z-direction exclusively. Then, the dynamic equilibrium equations of the stiffened plate are established using Lagrange’s equation as well as aforementioned conditions. The nonlinear differential equations of motion are simplified as a two-degree-of-freedom system by considering 1:2 and 1:3 internal resonances, respectively, and the multiscale method is applied to solve the equations.

The influence of initial stresses on the plate, stresses during internal resonance is remarkable, while that is moderate for initial geometric imperfections. (Upon considering the existence of initial stresses or geometric imperfections, the stresses of motivated modes are less than the primary mode for both and internal resonances). The influence of bidirectional initial stresses on the plate’s stresses during internal resonance is more remarkable than that of unidirectional initial stresses. The coupled vibration in 1%3A2 internal resonance is fiercer than that in internal resonance.

Stiffened plates are widely used in engineering structures. However, as a type of thin-walled structure, stiffened plates vibrate with large amplitude in most cases owning to their complicated operation circumstance. In addition, stiffened plates usually contain initial stresses and geometric imperfections, which may result in the variation of their mechanical behavior, especially dynamical behavior. Based on the above consideration, this paper studies the nonlinear dynamical behavior of stiffened plates with initial stresses and geometrical imperfections under different internal resonances, which is the originality of this work. Furthermore, the research findings can provide references for engineering design and application.

Topology optimization and conventional structural sizing optimization procedures are used together to obtain optimum designs for plate structures. A three‐layer, Mindlin‐Reissner plate model is first used with topology optimization to determine optimal stiffening zones. The central layer represents the unstiffened plate and the symmetrically located upper and lower layers are potential stiffening zones. A stiffening volume is specified and the objective is to minimize the strain energy. From these stiffening zones, a set of centre lines of equivalent stiffening Timoshenko beam elements is selected. A sizing optimization procedure is then used to optimize the stiffener dimensions. The objective of the design in the final sizing optimization stage is to minimise the strain energy keeping the total stiffened plate volume constant. The efficiency and accuracy of the proposed strategy is illustrated through several applications.

‘Shear‐constraints’ can be used to produce efficient Mindlin/Reissner or ‘discrete Kirchhoff’ bending elements. The paper shows that ‘selective shear‐constraints’ can be used to produce an effective formulation for folded‐plated structures.

Gives a bibliographical review of the finite element analyses of sandwich structures from the theoretical as well as practical points of view. Both isotropic and composite materials are considered. Topics include: material and mechanical properties of sandwich structures; vibration, dynamic response and impact problems; heat transfer and thermomechanical responses; contact problems; fracture mechanics, fatigue and damage; stability problems; special finite elements developed for the analysis of sandwich structures; analysis of sandwich beams, plates, panels and shells; specific applications in various fields of engineering; other topics. The analysis of cellular solids is also included. The bibliography at the end of this paper contains 655 references to papers, conference proceedings and theses/dissertations dealing with presented subjects that were published between 1980 and 2001.