Material and geometric nonlinear isoparametric spline finite strip analysis of perforated thin-walled steel structures—Numerical investigations

The theoretical developments of a material inelastic and geometric nonlinear analysis by use of the isoparametric spline finite strip method (ISFSM) are presented in a companion paper (Yao and Rasmussen (submitted) [1]). In the present paper, the numerical implementation of the analysis is reported, including nonlinear solution techniques, inelastic material models, selective reduced integration strategies, convergence criteria, and solution procedures. The reliability and efficiency of the method are demonstrated by a number of numerical examples, including analyses of flat plates with different material plasticity models, a classical nonlinear shell problem, perforated flat and stiffened plates, and perforated stiffened channel section storage rack uprights.

► Numerical implementation of inelastic analysis of thin-walled structures by the ISFSM.
► The arc-length method and the line-search technique have been successfully integrated.
► The solution procedure is detailed.
► The accuracy and efficiency of the analysis are validated by a number of examples.