Stress analysis of disconnected structures in contact through finite element gaps. [SAASGAPS code]

Technical Report · Thu Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1976

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/7260964· OSTI ID:7260964

Stadter, J T; Weiss, R O

A numerical procedure is presented for analyzing thermal stress problems of disconnected structures in contact across separations or gaps. The new procedure is called SAASGAPS, an adaptation of the basic SAAS III computer program. The SAAS program uses the finite element method and allows analyses of plane and axisymmetric bodies with temperature dependent material properties, subject to thermal and mechanical loads. A secant modulus approach with a bilinear stress-strain curve is used for elastic-plastic problems. The SAASGAPS version contains all of the features of the original SAAS program. A special gap element is used together with a stress invariance principle to model the contact process. The iterative procedure implemented in SAASGAPS is described. Results are discussed for five problems involving frictionless contact. Two of these problems are associated with the thermal stress analysis of the heat shield for the Multi-Hundred Watt Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator. Input instructions for the program are described in an appendix.

• Research Organization: Johns Hopkins Univ., Laurel, Md. (USA). Applied Physics Lab.
• OSTI ID: 7260964
• Report Number(s): ANSP-M-13; DNRA-3060-13
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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