FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS OF DAMAGE TOLERANT

SHELL STRUCTURES
Presented by

Dr. H.V.Lakshminarayana
Professor-Post Graduate Engineering Programs
M.S.Ramaiah School of Advanced Studies
New BEL Road, M.S.R Nagar, Bangalore 54
VENUE:
Symposium on Finite Element Analysis- Best Practices &
Vision of Future at Bangalore Institute of Technology
Bangalore
Date: 28th February 2006

Extended Summery
Fracture Mechanics is the latest addition to modern engineering
designers arsenal. It deals with stiffness, strength & durability prediction of
cracked materials, structures and components. The assessment of cracked
components and structures using fracture mechanics is emerging as a profession.
Fracture Mechanics parameters typically, The Stress Intensity Factor (K),
the Strain Energy Release Rate (G), the path independent integral (J), and the
Crack Tip Opening Displacement (CTOD) for a cracked body are inferred from
the results of finite element analysis. Finite element modeling therefore is an
indispensable step in Computational Fracture Mechanics (CFM). In this
presentation we focus on the stress intensity factors (SIF) and plate/ shell type
structures only.
Commercial FEM systems have incorporated CFM capability. We present
a critical assessment of ANSYS capabilities through benchmarks, a set of standard
test problems with known target SIF solutions in the form of formulae, graphs, and
tables.

An improved finite element model, which can provide accurate SIF

solutions, to through cracks in plate and shell type structures is proposed for critical
assessment. This model is implemented using ANSYS. A number of SINGULAR
elements, triangular in shape are used to discretize a very small region around a
crack tip while the rest of the domain under consideration is discretized using
REGULAR elements, quadrilateral and triangular in shape.
Geometric distortions coupled with appropriate constraint equations of
Quadratic Isoparametric Quadrilateral Plate and Shell elements appear to be the
most attractive approach to design singular elements.
The accuracy of the SIFs is strongly dependent upon the Number of
Singular elements (NS) used around a cracktip and the size of the singular element
(a). ANSYS has the capability in its pre-processor to automatically generate the
singular element mesh with specified NS and a: here a denotes crack length. In
practice numerical experiments are necessary to arrive at satisfactory values for NS
and a for each cracked body problem.

Conforming that the singular as well as regular shell elements are free
from shear- locking and membrane-locking effects was an important task in the
ANSYS assessment. Shell elements that exhibit locking are unacceptable for

CFM. Curved shell elements in ANSYS employed in the current assessment do

pass this critical test.
Graphical post-processor in ANSYS has the ability to display stress
contours, especially for the mesh of singular elements, at-top/middle/bottom
surfaces of the shell. This is a pre-requisite to identify the fracture surface as well
as to estimate the size and shape of plastic zone.
Derivation of formulae to compute Mode I and Mode II components of
both membrane and bending Stress Intensity Factors denoted by KI(m), KII(m), KI(b),
KII(b) using standard output in ANSYS is an important research element.

Definition of a unique cracktip Cartesian coordinate system and

computation of their direction cosines is another major research effort.
The end product and a measure of performance of this research effort is
the source code of a Post-Processing Subprogram called K-VALUES that
computes and outputs normalized SIFs.
In conclusion, integration of K-VALUES is essential for ANSYS to
provide CFM capability to its users.

Finite Elements for Modeling Shell Structures with Cracks

Regular Elements
Isoparametric Shell Element of Quadrilateral Shape (QUAD 8)
Isoparametric Shell Element of Triangular Shape (TRIA 6)

Singular Elements
Singular Isoparametric Shell Element Of Quadrilateral Shape (SQUAD 8)
Singular Isoparametric Shell Element Of Triangular Shape (STRIA 6)

Curved Isoparametric Shell Element Of Quadrilateral Shape

(QUAD 8)

Fig 1: Curved Isoparametric Shell Element Of Quadrilateral Shape (QUAD 8) (a) Element Geometry
(b) Coordinate System and Nodal Degrees of Freedom (c) Parent Element and Node Numbering System

Curved Isoparametric Shell Element Of Quadrilateral Shape

(QUAD 8)
The element is shown in fig.1 (a). The TOP, BOTTOM and MIDDLE surfaces
of the element are curved, whereas the sections across the thickness are generated
by the straight lines.
The geometric description requires specification of two vectors at each of the
eight mid surface nodes. One is the position vector Ri of the node i, with the three
global Cartesian components Xi, Yi, Zi, where the subscript i identifies the node
number i, the other is the unit normal vector Vi3 along with the shell wall thickness
ti of the same nodes.
The element carries six engineering degrees of freedom (three translations and
three rotations) at each of the eight mid surface nodes; the nodal degrees of
freedom are illustrated in fig.1 (b)
The shape functions, taking value of unity at node i and zero at all other nodes,
are derived as interpolation functions of a parent element shown in fig.1(c)

Curved Isoparametric Shell Element Of Quadrilateral Shape

(QUAD 8)

The vector Vi3 is not input by the user but is computed in the solver using
coordinates of the eight mid surface nodes.
Confirming that the element is free from shear-locking and membrane-locking
effects is an important research task of the project. Shell elements that exhibit
locking are unacceptable.
Commercial FEA processor to display contours of the stress (with respect to an
element local Cartesian coordinate system) at TOP/ MIDDLE/BOTTOM surfaces
of the shell. This is an important pre-requisite to recover stress intensity factors to
identify the fracture surface.

Curved Isoparametric Shell Element Of Triangular Shape

(TRIA 6)

Fig 2: Curved Isoparametric Shell Element Of Triangular Shape (TRIA 6) (a) Element Geometry

Curved Isoparametric Shell Element Of Triangular Shape

(TRIA 6)
The element shown in fig. 2 has 6 nodes and 6 engineering degrees of freedom at
each node.
The matrices and vectors for this element are computed as follows:
The edge 1-4-8 of the QUAD 8 element (See Fig. 1) is collapsed and nodes 4 and
8 are co-located with node 1.
Nodes 1, 4 and 8 are tied together to have the same DOF using multipoint
constraint (MPC) equations.
The vector Vi3 is not input by the user but is computed in the solver using the
coordinates of the six mid surface nodes.
Commercial FEA programs offer capabilities in their post-processor to display
contours of the stresses (with respect to an element local Cartesian coordinate
system) at TOP/ MIDDLE/Bottom surfaces of the shell.
Confirming that this distorted Isoparametric curved shell element is free from
membrane locking and shear locking is an important research task of the project.
Triangular shell elements that exhibit locking are unacceptable.

Singular Isoparametric Shell Element Of Quadrilateral Shape

(SQUAD 8)

Fig 3: Singular Isoparametric Shell Element Of Quadrilateral Shape (SQUAD 8) (a) Element Geometry
(b) Coordinate System and Nodal Degrees of Freedom (c) Parent Element and Node Numbering System

Singular Isoparametric Shell Element Of Quadrilateral Shape

(SQUAD 8)
The element shown in Fig. 3 has 8 nodes and 6 engineering degrees of freedom
(DOF) at each node.
The nodes 5 and 8, which are normally located at mid side position in the QUAD
8 element are moved close to the node 1. Node 1 in turn is located at a crack tip.
The stresses are singular within the element and the singularity is of the type r-1/2
,where r is the radial distance measured from the crack tip (Node 1).
One obvious disadvantage: the number of singular elements that can be used
around a crack tip is limited to four.

Commercial FEA programs provide commands in their pre-processor to move the

mid side nodes to quarter point locations. They also allow the SOLVER to proceed
even with such severely distorted singular elements in the mesh.

Singular Isoparametric Shell Element Of Triangular Shape

(STRIA 6)

Fig 4: Singular Isoparametric Shell Element Of Triangular Shape (STRIA 6) (a) Element Geometry

Singular Isoparametric Shell Element Of Triangular Shape

(STRIA 6)
The element shown in the fig 4 has 6 nodes and 6 engineering degrees of freedom
(DOF) at each node.
The matrices and vectors for this element are computed as follows:
Nodes 4 and 6, which are normally located at mid side position in the TRIA 6
element (See fig. 2) are moved to the quarter point locations close to node 1. Node 1
in turn is located at a crack tip.
The stresses are singular within this element and singularity is of the type r-1/2
,where r is the radial distance measured from the crack tip (Node 1).
The number of SINGULAR elements used around the crack tip can be
progressively increased and their length reduced till a converged SIF (Stress
Intensity Factor) solution is achieved.
Commercial FEA programs provide commands in their pre-processor to move the
mid-side nodes in the TRIA6 element to quarter point locations. They also allow the
SOLVER to proceed even with such severely distorted singular elements in the
mesh.

Finite Element Modeling of Plates/shells with Cracks

The accuracy of the SIFs is strongly dependent upon the Number of Singular
elements (NS) used around a cracktip and the size of the singular element (a).
ANSYS has the capability in its pre-processor to automatically generate the
singular element mesh with specified NS and a: here a denotes crack length.
In practice numerical experiments are necessary to arrive at satisfactory values
for NS and a for each cracked body problem.

The PREP7 KSCON command (Main Menu> Preprocessor> Meshing>

Size Cntrls> Concentrat KPs> Create), which assigns element division sizes
around a keypoint, is particularly useful in a fracture model. It automatically
generates singular elements around the specified keypoint. Other fields on the
command allow you to control the radius of the first row of elements, number of
elements in the circumferential direction, etc.

Benchmarks to Evaluate Locking effects in Curved Shell

Elements

A Phenomenon known as shear locking is observed when the eight-nodded

Mindlin shell element is applied to thinwalled plates/shells. The interpolation
functions used to approximate the displacements over the element domain
should admit that for thin-walled plates/shells, the transverse shear strains s
should be zero. However, by virtue of the shape functions used s may not be
zero everywhere, then an erroneous shear strain energy, which can be much
larger compared with the bending strain energy is included in the finite element
analysis of plates/shells. Hence, the resulting finite element model is much too
stiff and hence predicts much smaller deflections than the exact solution based
on Kirchoff-Love thin plate/shell theory.

Benchmarks to Evaluate Locking effects in Curved Shell

Elements
Membrane strains and bending curvatures are coupled in curved shell elements

so it is harder to avoid membrane locking. When the eight noded Mindlin shell
element is applied to thin shells, it exhibits great over-stiffness in bending because
details of element formulation cause spurious membrane strains to appear in
addition to bending curvatures and the membrane stiffness is far greater than
bending stiffness. Hence, the resulting finite element model is much too stiff and
hence predicts much smaller deflections than the exact solution based on
Kirchoff-Love thin shell theory.

Various techniques have been proposed to alleviate the locking effects, reduced
integration, selective reduced integration, assumed strain method, mixed
interpolation of displacement, section rotations and transverse shear strains, etc

Benchmarks to Evaluate Locking effects in Curved Shell

Elements

A number of benchmarks to evaluate locking effects in curved shell elements

have been proposed.
Robinsons benchmark: Cantilevered curved beam
McNeals benchmark: Cantilevered curved panel: Flexibility Matrix.
NAFEMS Benchmark: Inextensional bending of a cylindrical shell under
diametrical compression

Cracktip Stress Field: ANSYS Graphical Post-Processing

Capabilities

Singular Elements around crack tip

First Principle Stress ahead of the crack tip

First Principle Stress around the crack tip

Von-Mises Stress Contours within the singular elements

K-Evaluation Formulae

Singular elements around a crack tip

Formulae used for evaluation of mixed Mode Membrane and

bending stress intensity factors

K m E
I 1 1 2.a

0.5

E

K m
II 1 1 2.a

4 V V l V m V ml

0.5

4 U U l U m U ml

'

4 h Sin(x )Sin(x )

0.5 2

1
Kb E
I (1 ) ( 1) 2a

m
m'
h
Sin(x )Sin(x )
2

'

4 h Sin( y )Sin( y )

0.5 2

1
Kb E
II (1 ) ( 1) 2a

m
m'
h Sin( y )Sin( y )
2

K-VALUES: Post Processing Sub-Program

This will significantly enhance CFM capabilities of ANSYS

K-Values is a post-processing subprogram to compute crack-tip Stress
Intensity Factors for shell type structures. It can output Mode I and Mode II
components of MEMBRANE and BENDING Stress Intensity factors
individually.
Can be used with any commercial general-purpose Finite Element Analysis
program that has the modeling capability described earlier. ANSYS has the
required capability. ANSYS with K-VALUES therefore is an efficient
Computational Fracture Mechanics Tool.

K-VALUES: Post Processing Sub-Program

K-VALUES: performs the following steps

Step I: Uses extracted nodal displacements and rotations from properly flagged
SINGULAR elements. There is a need to automate the orientation of the cracktip
coordinates( X, Y, Z) X is along the crack plane; Z is along the crack front and

Y is perpendicular to both X and Z . The direction cosines of X, Y, Z enter into

the transformation matrix . Using the properly flagged elements and their nodes
and their global Cartesian coordinates, one should compute the matrix.
Step II: Transforms them to a new Cartesian coordinates system originated at the
crack tip.

K-VALUES: Post Processing Sub-Program

Step III: Using appropriate K-evaluation formulae computes, normalizes and

outputs Stress Intensity Factors at points along the crack front. These points are
located at TOP, MIDDLE and BOTTOM surfaces of the shell along the crack
front. Explicit formulae to compute KI(m), KII(m) , KI(b) , KII(b) are derived and
used. These formulae enable users of FEM system to compute surface Stress
Intensity Factors (TOP/MIDDLE/BOTTOM) using standard output namely nodal
displacements and rotations.
Convergence, accuracy and computational efficiency of the Proposed Improved
Finite Element model and K-VALUES post-processing subprogram is critically
assessed using a set of standard test problems with known target solutions thus
creating benchmarks.

Benchmarks

These are standard test problems with target SIF solutions in the form of
formulae/graphs/tables.
Center cracked tension panel: Mode I membrane SIF

Tension panel with a central circular arc crack: Mixed Mode membrane SIF
Cylindrical bending of a square plate with a central crack: Mode I bending SIF
Clamped circular plate with a central circular arc crack under pressure loading:
Mixed Mode bending SIF

Benchmarks

Cylindrical shell with an axial crack under internal pressure: Curvature

coupled Mode I membrane and Mode I bending SIF
Cylindrical shell with a circumferential crack under axial tension: Curvature
coupled Mode I membrane and Mode I bending SIF
Cylindrical shell with an arbitrarily oriented crack under axial tension, internal
pressure and torsional moment: Curvature coupled Mixed Mode membrane and
bending SIF

Benchmark for curvature coupled Membrane and Bending SIF

Evaluation:Axially loaded cylindrical shell with a
circumferential crack

The Fig. shows a cylindrical shell of radius R, and thickness t with

a circumferential crack of length 2a subjected uniform uni-axial
tension loading. The material properties, geometric details and

applied pressure used for the computations are shown in Table

Target Solution:

Membrane and bending Stress Intensity Factors for circumferential crack

Results Comparison: Crack Tip Stress Intensity Factors

Note: For a thin walled shell (R/h = 100) and for longer cracks ( >1.5) local
bulging around the crack tip is observed. For = 2.5, Fig 5.28 and Fig 5.29
illustrates this bulging behaviour. The target solution does not account for this
local bulging phenomenon. This infact is the reason for the increasing deviation
between the present finite element solution and the target solution. Extensive
research is necessary to bridge this gap.

Fig 5. 28 Observed behaviour for the case of =2.5

Fig 5. 29 Observed behaviour for the case of =2.5

Benchmark for curvature coupled Membrane and Bending SIF

Evaluation:Cylindrical shell with a circumferential crack under
Torsion

To & Mo

Material Properties

Geometric
details

Applied Load

Youngs modulus E = 2 x 105 N/ mm2

R = 25 mm

T0 = 20,000 N-mm

Poissons ratio = 0.3

L = 100 mm

M0 = 20,000 N-mm

Syt = 240 MPa

t = 1 mm
= 0.28 to 3.36
= 5 to 60

Note:

1/2

12 1

8 R t
a

Severe out of plane displacements around a circumferential crack

Membrane Stress Intensity Components for tube with R/t = 25 and

ranging from 5 to 60

3.9
Plane Stress
Plane Strain

m
K II

2.9

1.9

0.9
0

The finite element results indicate that there is good agreement between
the membrane SIFs

10

Bending Stress Intensity Components for tube with R/t = 25 and

ranging from 5 to 60
0.4
0.35

Plane Stress

0.3

Plane Strain

0.25

K (b)
II

0.2
0.15
0.1
0.05
0
0

10

Application
Pressurized Toroidal Shell with an arbitrary located and oriented crack

Torodial Shell with a through crack at 45 w.r.to a meridian

One quadrant of the torodial Shell

Finite Element Model

Singular Elements around the crack tip

Von-Mises Stress Contours within the singular elements

Von-Mises Stress Ahead of the Crack Tip

Von-Mises Stress around the Crack Tip

Results Comparison: Crack Tip Stress Intensity Factors

Future Work
Fracture Mechanics Analysis of Laminated Composite Plates/Shells
Material Model: Heterogeneous, anisotropic, linear, elastic
Critical Failure Modes: Interlaminar Fracture and Delamination Fracture
Appropriate Fracture Mechanics Parameters: Strain Energy Release Rate
(SERR) GI, GII, GIII
Development of G -VALUES a post processing subprogram
Application: Numerical Prediction of Delamination Growth in Laminated
composite structures.

Source Sun C T. The Proper Use of Fracture Mechanics in the Analysis of

Composite Materials and Laminates, proc.2nd Asian-Australian Conference on
composite materials, Kyongju, Korea., C.S Hong and C G Kin (eds.), Korean
Society for composite materials,Taejon, pp 65-75; 2000.

Future Work
Fracture Mechanics Analysis of shell structures with part through Surface

Cracks
Material Model: Homogeneous, isotropic, linear, elastic Surface

Critical Failure Modes: Mixed Mode Fracture

Appropriate Fracture Mechanics Parameters: SIFs KI, KII, KIII
Development of SIF-VALUES a Post processing subprogram

Application: Damage Tolerance Studies: Demonstration of the usefulness of

computed SIFs to predict Crack Growth, Residual Strength and Fatigue life.

Source
Ingraffea, A.R and Manu, C.Stress Intensity factor Computation in Three
Dimensions with Quarter Point Elements, IJWME vol. 15,1427-1445,1980.