Non-linear analysis of building floor structures by the boundary element method

Author(s)

Gabriela Rezende Fernandes

• Document type: Doctoral Thesis
• Press: São Carlos.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Escola de Engenharia de São Carlos (EESC/SBD)
• Defense date: 2003-03-07

Examining board members

Wilson Sergio Venturini; Clovis Sperb de Barcellos; Henrique Lindenberg Neto; João Batista de Paiva; Leandro Palermo Junior

• Advisor: Wilson Sergio Venturini

Abstract

In this work, the plate bending linear formulation of the boundary element method - BEM, based on the Kirchhoff\'s hypothesis, is extended to incorporate beam elements. The final objective of the work is to obtain a numerical model to analyse building floor structures, in which stiffness is further increased by the presence of membrane effects. From the boundary integral representations of the bending and the stretching problems a particular integral equation to represent the equilibrium of the whole body is obtained. Using this integral equation, no approximation of the generalized forces along the interface is required. Moreover, compatibility and equilibrium conditions along the interface are automatically imposed by the integral equation. An alternative formulation where the number of degrees of freedom is further reduced is also investigated. In this case, the kinematics Navier-Bernoulli hypothesis is assumed to simplify the strain field for the thin sub-regions (beams). Then, the formulation is extended to perform non-linear analysis by incorporating initial effort fields. Then non-linear solution is obtained using the concept of the local consistent tangent operator. The domain integral required, to evaluate the initial effort influences, are performed by using the well-known cell sub-division. The non-linear behaviour is evaluated by the Von Mises criterion, that is verified at points along the plate thickness, appropriately placed to allow performing numerical integration to approach moments and normal forces using Gauss point schemes. (AU)