“Computational Civil Engineering - "Intersections" International Journal

“Computational Civil Engineering 2005”, International SymposiumIaşi, România, May 27, 2005Finite Element Analysis of Thin-walled Bars withU-shaped SectionAnca Gabriela Popa 1 and Hortensiu Liviu Cucu 11 Department of Structural Mechanics, Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, Cluj-Napoca, 400020,RomaniaSummaryThe paper presents a finite element analysis of the behaviour of the U-shaped thinwalledelements subject simultaneously to bending and restrained torsion.The principal aspects of the analysis regard the distribution of the strains andstresses. The problem in treated in a finite element approach, using plane stressincompatible finite elements and the program HYFEM, conceived at the TechnicalUniversity of Cluj-Napoca by the authors and others.There are presented numerical results concerning the distribution of the strainsand stresses and comparisons with the results obtained with the commercialprogram NASTRAN and the theory of the thin-walled bars.KEYWORDS: Thin-walled bars, finite element analysis.1. INTRODUCTIONThe paper presents numerical results obtained for the thin-walled bars with U-shaped cross section, considered as cantilevers fixed at the base (Figure 1).Figure 1. U-shaped structure – basic data