A Simplified Finite Element for Analysis of Curved Beams and its Implementation in Abaqus

Abstract

The need to model curved beams has gained renewed interest in recent years, as they appear in geometrically imperfect structures. Consideration of imperfections is recommended in the latest standards for steel structures, such as ANSI/AISC and EUROCODE. Assuming that the shape of the imperfection is known, most commercial programs model the imperfect geometry by simply moving the nodes of the finite element mesh. This may require a large number of elements to obtain adequate accuracy. In this work we will demonstrate that, if the curvatures are moderate, it is possible to obtain a simplified finite element for curved beams that does not require any special theory for curved elements and converges accurately. The element will be implemented in the Abaqus program and compared with existing elements.