5.3.    Tutorial Three

The third tutorial consists in a cantilever beam loaded with points load in direction y with modelled by shell elements (Mindlin-Reissner theory). The output results of NextFEM Designer (Frame forces and displacement) are compared with hand calculations.

 Only flexural deformations are considered.

-          Units: N for forces and mm for lengths.

-          Material Properties:

o    Name: Concrete;

o    E=30000 N/mm²;

o    Nu=0.3

o    Fk=25 N/mm

o    Weight=2.5^10-5 N/mm³;

o    Mass=2.55^10-9 N/mm²/g

-          Section properties:

o    B=300 mm (y direction); Planar section;

-          Geometric properties:

o    L=5000 mm;

-          Loads:

o    Py=5000 N;

o    Pz=10000 N;

-          Mesh size: 250x250 mm

-          NextFEM Designer’s Results:

o    Displacement in x direction: Node 2=0.00mm

o    Displacement in y direction: Node 2=0.6250 mm

o    Displacement in z direction: Node 2=-0.5062mm

-          Comparison with hand Calculations (see tutorial two):

o    Displacement in y direction

§  Hand Calculation: 0.77160mm

§  NextFEM designer: 0.6250mm

§  Percent difference 19%

o    Displacement in z direction:

§  Hand Calculation: -0.5556mm

§  NextFEM designer: -0.5062mm

§  Percent difference: 9%

Note that the difference is due to the choice of the mesh size.