Static Analysis of Composite Beams Using Collocation Technique by Considering Linear and Nonlinear Partial Interactions

Abstract

This work presents a collocation method for study of the static behavior of composite beams with consideration of linear and nonlinear partial interactions. The collocation concept is first introduced; the internal global trial functions for the displacement field are then assumed in terms of Fourier series expansion representations. In order to obtain the unknown coefficients, several collocation points, distributed uniformly along the span of a composite beam, are adopted to set up the systems of equations by satisfying governing equations and boundary conditions. Both single- and multispan composite beams are investigated and validated against other analytical and numerical methods, where good agreement is always obtained. The efficiency of the collocation technique is then tested with different numbers of collocation points or harmonic terms to generate converged results. The collocation technique is also applied to the nonlinear analysis of partial-interaction composite beams. The theoretical distinctions between the present technique and other methods are finally explained.