Formulation method for solid-to-beam transition finite elements

Various transition elements are used in general for the effective finite el ement analysis of complicated mechanical structures. In this paper, a solid -to-beam transition finite element, which can be used for connecting a C-1- continuity beam element to a continuum solid element, is proposed. The shap e functions of the transition finite element are derived to meet the compat ibility condition, and a transition element equation is formulated by the c onventional finite element procedure. In order to show the effectiveness an d convergence characteristics of the proposed transition element, numerical tests are performed for various examples. As a result of this study, follo wing conclusions are obtained. (1) The proposed transition element, which m eets the compatibility of the primary variables, exhibits excellent accurac y. (2) In case of using the proposed transition element, the number of node s in the finite element model may be considerably reduced and the model con struction becomes more convenient. (3) This formulation method can be appli ed to the usage of higher order elements.