TSAAS: finite-element thermal and stress analysis of plane and axisymmetric solids with orthotropic temperature-dependent material properties

Abstract

The finite element method is used to determine the temperatures, displacements, stresses, and strains in axisymmetric solids with orthotropic, temperature-dependent material properties under axisymmetric thermal and mechanical loads. The mechanical loads can be surface pressures, surface shears, and nodal point forces as well as an axial or centripetal acceleration. The continuous solid is replaced by a system of ring elements with triangular or quadrilateral cross sections. Accordingly, the method is valid for solids that are composed of many different materials and that have complex geometry. Nonlinear mechanical behavior as typified by plastic, locking, or creeping materials can be approximated. Two dimensional mesh generation, plotting, and editing features allow the computer program to be readily used. In addition to a stress analysis program that is based on a modified version of the SAAS code, TSAAS can carry out a transient thermal analysis with the finite element mesh used in stress analysis. An implicit time differencing scheme allows the use of arbitrary time steps with consequent fast running times. At specified times, the program will return to SAAS for thermal stress analysis. Nonlinear thermal properties and Arrhenius reaction kinetics are also incorporated into TSAAS. Several versions of TSAAS are in use at Los Alamos, running on CDC-7600, CRAY-1 and VAX 11/780 computers. This report describes the nominal TSAAS; other versions may have some unique features.