Modelagem do comportamento termomecânico de treliças espaciais em regime de grandes deslocamentos e deformações

Abstract

Space trusses are structures usually composed of metalic rods (steel or aluminum) that are used for several purposes, but mainly to sustain the roof of large spans present in sheds and pavilions. The present work has the aim of computationally model the coupled thermo-elastoplastic behavior of space trusses under large displacements and large strains, using the heat transfer equation model and an elastoplastic constitutive model modified to include the thermal influence. Computer simulations of the resulting mathematical model can be used for the development of structural projects under large variations of temperature, as occurs in fire situations. The finite element method (FEM) was used to determine the temperature field in transversal section of rods. In order to find the displacements and strains due to thermal variation and loadings, it was used the direct stiffness method. The Newton-Raphson method was used to solve the resulting non-linear equilibrium equations of the thermomecanic constitutive model. The developed code was initially validated through computational simulations of simple structures where thermal variations affect the Young modulus, the plastic modulus and the yield stress of the material. The results of more complex trusses, with a geometry similar to the ones usually adopted in engineering applications, under a simplified standard fire situation are also presented. The high temperature causes a decrease in the rods' resistance and stiffness and important informations such as the fire time supported by the structure and the number of plastified rods are achieved from the simulations and can be used as a security measure to avoid greater damage in places with large crowds of people.