Unified three-dimensional finite elements for large strain analysis of compressible and nearly incompressible solids

Mech Adv Mat Struct. 2023 Jul 6;31(1):117-137. doi: 10.1080/15376494.2023.2229832. eCollection 2024.

Abstract

This work proposes a displacement-based finite element model for large strain analysis of isotropic compressible and nearly-incompressible hyperelastic materials. Constitutive law is written in terms of invariants of the right Cauchy-Green tensor; coupled and decoupled formulations of strain energy functions are presented, whereas a penalty function is used to impose an incompressibility constraint. Based on a total Lagrangian formulation, the nonlinear governing equations are thus obtained by employing the principle of virtual displacements. Analytic expression of both internal forces vector and tangent matrix of linear and high-order hexahedral finite elements are derived by adopting a three-dimensional formalism based on the Carrera Unified Formulation. Popular benchmark problems in hyperelasticity are analyzed to establish the capabilities of the present implementation of fully-nonlinear solid elements in the case of compressible and nearly-incompressible beams, cylindrical shells, and curved structures.

Keywords: Hyperelasticity; geometrical non linearities; material non linearities; nearly incompressible hyperelastic models; path-following methods; unified formulation.

Grants and funding

This work was funded by European Research Council. This project has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (Grant agreement No. 850437).