Node sampling for nonlinear vibration analysis of structures with intermittent contact

In this paper, a node sampling methodology for nonlinear vibration problems of elastic structures involving intermittent contact is proposed. Of particular interest is a vibration problem of platelike elastic structures with a crack, with a large number of degrees of freedom involved on the crack surfaces. Because of the localized nature of such nonlinearity, the number of degrees of freedom on the surfaces greatly affects the computational time of the analysis. Therefore, reducing the number of degrees of freedom on the crack surfaces without significantly sacrificing the accuracy of the results is a critical issue for conducting vibration analysis of such structures in a reasonable amount of time. The focus is placed on the development of an efficient algorithm to select a set of nodes on the crack surfaces, where nonlinear boundary conditions are imposed. The method is developed, based on a procedure for selecting master degrees of freedom for Guyan reduction. The accuracy, efficiency, and optimality of the method are discussed in detail and compared with those aspects of previous methods. The advantages of the new method are demonstrated in terms of the accuracy of the frequency response and the resonant frequencies. DOI: 10.2514/1.J050061