PARAMETER-TRANSFER FINITE-ELEMENT METHOD FOR STRUCTURAL-ANALYSIS

A theoretical formulation of a method to solve structural problems is given from a general point of view. The procedure creates a mathematic al model of typical elements taking into account the whole behavior of the structure under concern such as static, dynamic, aerodynamic . . . thermal actions. in analogy with other numerical methods like finite elements, a ''library'' of models, named parameter-transfer finite el ements (P-TFE) can be obtained for simple structures. Complex geometri es can be approached by a discretization technique assembling the cont ributions from each element. An application to the panel flutter probl em is given in which the proposed method overcomes most difficulties o f the usual techniques of solution. To assess the validity of the meth od, a comparison with results obtained by other authors is made.