The Cosserat Point Element as an Accurate and Robust Finite Element Formulation for Implicit Dynamic Simulations

Abstract

The reliability of numerical simulations manifested the need for an accurate and robust finite element formulation. Therefore, in the present study, an eight node brick Cosserat point element ( CPE ) for the nonlinear dynamic analysis of three-dimensional (3D) solids including both thick and thin structures is developed. Within the present finite element formulation, a strain energy function is proposed and additively decoupled into two parts. One part is characterized by any 3D strain energy function, while the other part controls the response to inhomogeneous deformations. Several example problems are presented, which demonstrate the accuracy and the robustness of the developed CPE in modeling the dynamic response of elastic structures.