Elastodynamic analysis of rotating solids by novel nodal position finite element method

This study develops a novel 8-node isoparametric hexahedral element using the Nodal Position Finite Element Method (NPFEM) for elastodynamic analysis of rotating solids. The element also incorporates the flexural modes directly into its element shape function to alleviate the shear locking when modeling the bending deformation of solids. Unlike conventional displacement-based finite element methods, which require the decoupling of elastic deformation from rigid-body motions, the NPFEM eliminates this process by directly representing strain and kinetic energies through nodal position coordinates, which avoids potential approximation errors in the decoupling process. To validate the accuracy and efficacy of this new NPFEM solid element, numerical simulations of a beam under static and dynamic loads are conducted and benchmarked against the theoretical solutions. Then, dynamic analysis of a rotating blade demonstrates that the NPFEM element can directly account for the centrifugal stiffening effect and superharmonic resonance of rotating blades without resorting to conventional methods. The successful implementation of this NPFEM element in complex simulations highlights its potential to provide significant advancements in computational mechanics.