A new strain-based pentagonal membrane finite element for solid mechanics problems

Abstract

Polygonal finite elements remain an attractive option in finite element analysis due to their flexibility in modeling arbitrary shapes compared to triangles. In this study, a pentagonal membrane element was developed with the strain approach for the first time. The element possesses invariance, and the equilibrium constraint was applied to the assumed strain field using corrective coefficients. Inspired by the advancing front technique, a pentagonal mesh was generated, and the mesh quality was enhanced with Laplacian smoothing. The performance of the developed pentagonal element was assessed in a few numerical tests, and the results revealed its suitability in modeling the bending of beams. Besides, the numerical results are enhanced when pentagonal elements are used in mesh transitions along boundaries to smoothen curved edges and capture distributed loads.

Keywords

• Strain-based pentagonal element (SBP)
• Corrective coefficients
• Equilibrium
• Laplacian smoothing
• Pentagonal mesh
• Mesh transition