Application of 2D finite element model for nonlinear dynamic analysis of clamp band joint

Abstract

Due to frictional slippage between the joint components, clamp band joints may generate nonlinear stiffness and friction damping, which will affect the dynamics of the joint structures. Accurate modeling of the frictional behavior in clamp band joints is crucial for reliable estimation of the joint structure dynamics. While the finite element (FE) method is a powerful tool to analyze structures assembled with joints, it is computationally expensive and inefficient to perform transient analyses with three-dimensional (3D) FE models involving contact nonlinearity. In this paper, a two-dimensional (2D) FE model of much more efficiency is applied to investigate the dynamics of a clamp band jointed structure subjected to longitudinal base excitations. Prior to dynamic analyses, the sources of the model inaccuracy are determined, upon which a two-step model updating technique is proposed to improve the accuracy of the 2D model in accordance with the quasi-static test data. Then, based on the updated 2D model, the nonlinear influence of the clamp band joint on the dynamic response of the joint structure is investigated. Sine-sweep tests are carried out to validate the updated 2D FE model. The FE modeling and updating techniques proposed here can be applied to other types of structures of cyclic symmetry to develop accurate model with high computational efficiency.