A Structural Nonlinear Analysis Workspace (SNAW) based on meshless methods
In this paper, a Structural Nonlinear Analysis Workspace (SNAW) based on meshless methods is presented. Using the meshless methods in SNAW, the modeling of structures for nonlinear analysis is accomplished by a set of particles, and the use of an explicit structured mesh as in the conventional finite element methods is unnecessary. Due to the use of smooth shape functions in the meshless methods, SNAW effectively deals with large structural deformations that usually lead to mesh distortion and solution divergence in finite elements. The meshless formulation in SNAW is applicable to hyperelastic and elasto-plastic materials, explicit and implicit time integrations, and rigid-to-flexible-body frictional contact conditions. This SNAW development interfaces meshless analysis code with MSC/PATRAN for pre- and post-processing using graphical menu-driven functionalities. A number of example problems, including engine mount, rubber seal, metal bar impact and metal-forming simulations, are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of SNAW.
meshless method finite element method hyperelasticity elasto-plasticity frictional contact large deformation structural analysis metal forming elastomers contact/impact