Appl. Math. Mech. -Engl. Ed.

, 32(11), 14071422 (2011)

DOI 10.1007/s10483-011-1511-9
Applied Mathematics
Shanghai
c University and Springer-Verlag
and Mechanics
Berlin Heidelberg 2011 (English Edition)

Convergence and exact solutions of spline finite strip method using

unitary transformation approach

J. KONG1 , D. THUNG2
(1. Division of Building Science and Technology, City University of Hong Kong,
Hong Kong, P. R. China;
2. School of Creative Media, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, P. R. China)

Abstract The spline nite strip method (FSM) is one of the most popular numerical
methods for analyzing prismatic structures. Ecacy and convergence of the method
have been demonstrated in previous studies by comparing only numerical results with
analytical results of some benchmark problems. To date, no exact solutions of the method
or its explicit forms of error terms have been derived to show its convergence analytically.
As such, in this paper, the mathematical exact solutions of spline nite strips in the
plate analysis are derived using a unitary transformation approach (abbreviated as the
U-transformation method herein). These exact solutions are presented for the rst time in
open literature. Unlike the conventional spline FSM which involves assembly of the global
matrix equation and its numerical solution, the U-transformation method decouples the
global matrix equation into the one involving only two unknowns, thus rendering the
exact solutions of the spline nite strip to be derived explicitly. By taking Taylors
series expansion of the exact solution, error terms and convergence rates are also derived
explicitly and compared directly with other numerical methods. In this regard, the spline
FSM converges at the same rate as a non-conforming nite element, yet involving a smaller
number of unknowns compared to the latter. The convergence rate is also found superior
to the conventional nite dierence method.
Key words spline nite strip, U-transformation, plate, symmetry
Chinese Library Classification O242.21, TU33
2010 Mathematical Subject Classification 74K20

1 Introduction
The unitary transformation (U-transformation) method was originally developed by Chan et
al.[1] for the exact analysis of periodic structures. It was subsequently extended by Cai et al.[2]
to bi-periodic systems. The success of the method relies on a complex unitary matrix U . When
applied to the transformation of a circulant matrix, it completely diagonalizes the circulant
matrix. Such circulant matrices exist in many branches of science and engineering and in the
context of structural engineering. They correspond to stiness matrices of periodic structures.
As such, the U-transformation method provides a mathematical tool for decoupling a periodic
or cyclic symmetric structural system and making it possible for obtaining the corresponding
Received Dec. 30, 2010 / Revised Jul. 16, 2011
Project supported by the Division Research Grant from City University of Hong Kong (No. DRG
13/08-09)
Corresponding author J. KONG, Ph. D., E-mail: bsjkong@cityu.edu.hk
1408 J. KONG and D. THUNG

exact solution in an explicit form. The method has been successfully applied to a wide range
of structural systems with rotational and linear periodicity like continuous beams and plates,
folded plates, trusses, grillages, cable networks, and spring-mass systems. Extension to stress
concentration problems of plates was recently achieved by Yang et al.[3] .
The nite strip method (FSM) has received signicant attention in the research community
and the civil engineering industry worldwide since its rst introduction in 1968 by Professor
Cheung[4] , and reviews of the subjects have been published elsewhere[58] . Among dierent
versions of nite strips, the classical FSM, rst developed by Cheung[4] , has attracted a lot of
attention due to the fact that the governing stiness matrix equation is decoupled, signicantly
simplifying the problem and reducing the computational eorts. The classical FSM, however,
is only limited to structures with simply-supported ends. For problems with general boundary
conditions, the spline FSM can be much more versatile, providing a complementary method to
the classical nite strips. Although the accuracy and the rate of convergence of the classical
FSM were studied by Smith and Allen[9] and Li[10] , the ecacy of spline nite strips was only
demonstrated in the literature by comparing numerical results with analytical solutions or other
numerical solutions. Explicit mathematical derivation of the rate of convergence and the exact
solution form of spline nite strips are not available in the literature, to the best of the au-
thors knowledge. This paper attempts to provide such a derivation using the U-transformation
approach for the particular case of plate bending with simply-supported edges, of which the
results provide important insights into the rate of convergence and ecacy of the spline FSM.
To rst illustrate the application of the U-transformation to problems involving spline func-
tions, a one-dimensional problem of bending, vibration, and buckling of simple beams is consid-
ered. The beam deection is approximated by the cubic B3 -spline function. A linear periodic
system is then formed, and the corresponding circulant stiness matrix is established. The
U-transformation is used to diagonalize the matrix and thereby obtain the exact solution in an
explicit form. Taylors series expansion of the exact solution would reveal the error term and the
rate of convergence of the cubic B3 -spline approximation. Following the same procedure, the
two-dimensional problem of bending, vibration, and buckling of a simply-supported rectangular
plate is considered. The plate is divided into cubic B3 -spline nite strips[4] . Explicit solutions
are then obtained using the U-transformation. The rates of convergences are subsequently
compared with those of a non-conforming element[1] and the nite dierence method[1112] .

2 U-transformation

Given N numbers K1,j , j = 1, 2, , N , a circulant matrix K is a matrix whose rows are of

the following forms:

K1,1 K1,2 K1,3 K1,N
K1,N K1,1 K1,2 K1,N 1

K1,N 1 K K K1,N 2
K= 1,N 1,1 . (1)
.. .. .. ..
. . . .
K1,2 K1,3 K1,4 K1,1

Circulant matrices have a very important property. The unitary matrix U of order N is
given by

U [U1 , U2 , , UN ], (2a)

where
1
Um = [1, eim , ei2m , , ei(N 1)m ]T , (2b)
N
 Convergence and exact solutions of spline nite strip method 1409

and
2
= and i = 1 (2c)
N
diagonalize the entire circulant matrix. Denoting U as the complex conjugate of U , we have
T
U KU = diag(k1 , k2 , , kN ), (3a)

where

N
kr = K1,j ei(j1)r , (3b)
j=1

and
T
U U = I. (3c)

3 Cubic spline functions and U-transformation for beams

Consider a simply-supported, prismatic beam of span l, exural stiness EI, and mass per
unit length m under a general load q(x) (see Fig. 1). The beam is divided into n cubic B3 -
spline sections of equal section length h = l/n. To form a linear periodic system, hypothetical
spans are added to both sides of the original span, and for easy presentation, only two adjacent
hypothetical spans are shown in Fig. 2. Assume that the deection prole of the two adjacent
spans is made anti-symmetrical with respect to the original span by imposing anti-symmetrical
loads thereon, that is,
q(x) = q(x) = q(2l x) for x [0, l]. (4)

Fig. 1 Simply supported beam of span l that is subject to load q(x) and divided into cubic spline
sections with equal section length

Fig. 2 Two hypothetical spans are appended to original simply-supported span in the middle. De-
ection proles of hypothetical spans are anti-symmetrical to original span

Obviously, the resulting anti-symmetrical deection prole satises automatically the bound-
ary conditions at both ends of the original span. By the same token, this anti-symmetry can be
made repeatedly for all extended hypothetical spans on both sides, and the resulting deection
prole of the original span repeats in every alternate span (see Fig. 3).
1410 J. KONG and D. THUNG

Fig. 3 Linear periodic system of beam. Each period is divided into 2n cubic spline sections
Next, consider two contiguous spans of the aforesaid linear periodic system with 2n numbers
of cubic B3 -spline sections. Assume that the deection is approximated by the cubic B3 -spline
functions i (x)[4] . By Eulers beam theory, the elements of the stiness matrix can be written
as follows:
L 2
d i d2 j
Ki,j = EI dx, (5)
0 dx2 dx2
where L = 2l.
In general, each cubic local spline function i (x) couples with only seven consecutive splines
(see Fig. 4). As such, row i of the circulant stiness matrix of the periodic system can be written
as follows:

Ki,i3 wi3 + Ki,i2 wi2 + Ki,i1 wi1 + Ki,i wi

+ Ki,i+1 wi+1 + Ki,i+2 wi+2 + Ki,i+3 wi+3 = Fi , (6)
6EI
where Ki,i3 = 36h3 = Ki,i+3 , Ki,i2 = 0 = Ki,i+2 , Ki,i1 = 54EI
36h3 = Ki,i+1 , Ki,i =
96EI
36h3 , and

Ki,j = 0 if |i j|  4. (7)

Fig. 4 Cubic spline functions with equal section length. Each spline function i couples with seven
consecutive splines i3 to i+3

In Eq. (6), the deection variable at each spline knot is denoted by wj . The closed form
integration of spline functions in Eq. (5) can easily be done[4] .
For the uniformly distributed load p, the load vector entry Fi in Eq. (7) is given by
L
Fi = p i (x)dx, (8)
0

where F1 = 0 = Fn+1 = F2n+1 .

Upon integration, it can be shown that
22hp
F2 = = Fn = Fn+2 = F2n . (9)
24
 Convergence and exact solutions of spline nite strip method 1411

Otherwise, Fi = hp.
Applying the U-transformation in Eq. (2), we can write each deection variable wj in terms
of generalized coordinates qr and the associated symmetry mode ei(j1)r , that is,

N
1
wj = ei(j1)r qr , (10)
r=1
N

where N = 2n.
Using Eqs. (3), (6), and (7), the stiness matrix can be diagonalized as


N
kr = K1j ei(j1)r
j=1

= K1,1 ei(11)r + K1,2 ei(21)r + K1,3 ei(31)r + K1,4 ei(41)r + K1,N ei(N 1)r
+ K1,N 1 ei(N 2)r + K1,N 2 ei(N 3)r
= K1,1 + K1,2 eir + K1,3 e2ir + K1,4 e3ir + K1,N eir + K1,N 1 e2ir + K1,N 2 e3ir
96 54eir + 0e2ir + 6e3ir 54eir + 0e2ir + 6e3ir
=
36h3
96 108 cos(r) + 12 cos(3r)
= . (11)
36h3
The load vector is transformed using the following complex conjugate modes:

1  i(j1)r
N
fr = e Fj
N j=1

hp
 i(j1)r 
n N
2
= e ei(j1)r (ei(21)r + ei(n1)r )
N j=2 j=n+2
24
2 
+ (ei(n+1)r + ei(N 1)r )
24
hp
 i(j1)r  i(n+j1)r 
n n
2
= e e + (eir eir )(cos(m) 1)
N j=2 j=2
24

hp
 i(j1)r  i(j1)r 
n n

2
e + e + (2i sin(r))(2) if r = odd,
= N j=2 24


j=2
0 if r = even

2hp
 i(j1)r 
n

hp 1
e 1 + (i sin(r)) if r = odd,
= N j=1 N3 (12)


0 if r = even.

For the odd number r, the rst term inside the bracket forms a geometric series, which can
be shown as

n
i sin(r)
ei(j1)r 1 = .
j=1
1 cos(r)

Using the diagonalized stiness matrix in Eq. (11) and the transformed load vector in
1412 J. KONG and D. THUNG

Eq. (12), the generalized coordinates qr (r = 1, 3, 5, , N 1) can be determined by solving

(96 108 cos(r) + 12 cos(3r))qr 2hp i sin(r) hp 1
= + (i sin(r)). (13)
36h3 N (1 cos(r)) N3
Hence,
h4 p i sin(r)(5 + cos(r))
qr = . (14)
EI N (1 cos(r))(8 9 cos(r) + cos(3r))
The deection variable can be easily found as

N 1
1 h4 p i sin(r)(5 + cos(r))
wj = ei(j1)r
r=1,3,5, N EI N (1 cos(r))(8 9 cos(r) + cos(3r))
N 1
h4 p  ei(j1)r i sin(r)(5 + cos(r))
= . (15)
EIN r=1,3,5, (1 cos(r))(8 9 cos(r) + cos(3r))

Assume that the beam is divided into even number of spline sections, i.e., n is even. Then,
the deection at the center of the original span is given by
1
wx= l = (w n + 4w n2 +1 + w n2 +2 )
2 6 2
1 ir
+ 4 + eir )
N
h4 p sin r
2 sin(r)(5 + cos(r))(e
=
EIN r=1,3,5, 6(1 cos(r))(8 9 cos(r) + cos(3r))

N 1
h4 p sin r
2 sin(r)(5 + cos(r))(2 + cos(r))
= . (16)
EIN r=1,3,5,
3(1 cos(r))(8 9 cos(r) + cos(3r))

Assume that
sin r
2 sin(r)(5 + cos(r))(2 + cos(r))
f (r) = . (17)
(1 cos(r))(8 9 cos(r) + cos(3r))
It can be shown that
f (r) = f (N r). (18)
Hence, the actual deection at the center of the beam is

h4 p  sin r sin(r)(5 + cos(r))(2 + cos(r))

n1
2
wx= l = . (19)
2 3EIn r=1,3,5, (1 cos(r))(8 9 cos(r) + cos(3r))

Expanding the right-hand side of Eq. (19) into Taylors series, we have
 r
12 
n1
l4 p 4
wx= l = sin + O(n ) . (20)
2 3EI r=1,3,5,
2 r5 5

As n goes to innity, the rst term reveals that the deection does converge to the analytical
beam solution.
r
12 

l4p 5pl4
wx= l = sin 5 5
= , (21)
2 3EI r=1,3,5, 2 r 384EI
 Convergence and exact solutions of spline nite strip method 1413

while the second term indicates that the cubic spline solution converges to the exact analytical
beam solution at an asymptotic rate of n4 .
It is noteworthy that, by considering a generally distributed load q(x) acting on any arbitrary
spline section, the same linear periodic system can be formed by imposing the corresponding
anti-symmetrical loads on the contiguous spans. Then, load vectors can be formed by integrating
the spline functions involved and subsequently transformed as in Eq. (12). The exact deection
solution can be obtained following the same approach given in Eqs. (13)(21). By the principle
of superposition, the exact solution for any arbitrary distributed load acting on the beam can
be found.
By the same token, for vibration problems, the corresponding mass matrix of the periodic
beam can be written as follows:
L
Mij = m i j dx. (22)
0

By transformation in a manner similar to the stiness matrices, it can be shown that


N
mr = M1j ei(j1)r
j=1

(2416 + 1191eir + 120e2ir + 1e3ir + 1191eir + 120e2ir + 1e3ir)mh

=
5040
(2416 + 2382 cos(r) + 240 cos(2r) + 2 cos(3r))mh
= . (23)
5040
The natural frequency of the beam can be found from Eqs. (11) and (23) as follows:

(8 9 cos(r) + cos(3r))qr EI (1208 + 1191 cos(r) + 120 cos(2r) + cos(3r))qr mh

= 2 .
3h3 2520
Hence,

EI 840(8 9 cos(r) + cos(3r))

2 = 4
. (24)
mh 1208 + 1191 cos(r) + 120 cos(2r) + cos(3r)

Expanding it into Taylors series, we obtain the explicit solution of the natural frequency
and the corresponding error term

140EI
r4 4 r8 8 
2 = 4
+ + O(10 ) , (25)
mh 140 100800
ignoring higher-order terms, which can be rewritten as

EI (r)4 EI(r)4
r4 4 
2 = + . (26)
m l4 ml4 720n4
As such, it is clear that the eigenvalue converges to the analytical solution of the simple
beam at an asymptotic rate of n4 .
For buckling of a beam under the axial compression P , the corresponding geometric matrix
can be written as
L
di dj
Gij = P dx. (27)
0 dx dx
1414 J. KONG and D. THUNG

Transforming in a manner similar to the stiness matrices, we obtain the following diago-
nalized geometric matrix:


N
gr = G1j ei(j1)r
j=1

(240 45eir 72e2ir 3e3ir 45eir 72e2ir 3e3ir )P

=
360h
(240 90 cos(r) 144 cos(2r) 6 cos(3r))P
= . (28)
360h
The buckling load factor can be found from Eqs. (11) and (28), that is,

(8 9 cos(r) + cos(3r))qr EI (40 15 cos(r) 24 cos(2r) cos(3r))qr P

3
= .
3h 60h
Hence,
EI 20(8 9 cos r + cos(3r))
= . (29)
P h2 40 15 cos(r) 24 cos(2r) cos(3r)
Expanding it into Taylors series, we obtain

10EI
r2 2 r6 6 8

= + + O( ) , (30)
P h2 10 7200
which can be simplied to

EI
r2 2  EI
r2 2 
r4 4 
= + . (31)
P l2 P l2 720n4
By taking r = 1, the buckling load factor converges to the Euler buckling load of the simple
beam at an asymptotic rate of n4 .
As compared with the convergence of the usual cubic Hermite beam elements[1] , it can
be seen from Eqs. (20), (26), and (31) that the convergence rate of deection, frequency, and
buckling load of the cubic spline functions is the same as the beam elements yet involving only
about the half number of unknowns (if the number of beam elements is the same as that of
spline sections). In addition, in comparison with the nite dierence method[11] , both methods
involve about the same number of unknowns (if the same number of sections is used in both
methods), but the nite dierence method only converges at a much slower rate of n2 .

4 Spline finite strip and U-transformation

Consider the two-dimensional problem of plate bending with simply-supported edges. As-
sume that the plate is divided into m numbers of identical spline nite strips across the width
and n numbers of spline sections (with identical section length h = l/n) along the length (see
Fig. 5). Following the same argument as in previous section, hypothetical plate panels with
anti-symmetrical deection proles are assumed to be extended in both directions, as shown
in Fig. 6, such that a periodic plate system of four contiguous squarely aligned panels with 2n
spline sections along the x -axis and 2m numbers of strips along the y-axis is formed (see Fig. 7).
With the conventional thin-plate theory, the elements of the stiness matrix for a strip with
thickness t can be written as[4]

ki,j = BiT DB j dydx, (32)
 Convergence and exact solutions of spline nite strip method 1415

Fig. 5 Simply-supported plate is divided into m spline nite strips and n number of spline sections.
Each nite strip has two nodal lines 1 and 2

Fig. 6 Hypothetical panels are appended to Fig. 7 Four contiguous panels are divided into
the original plate along two orthogo- 2m strips across the width and 2n spline
nal directions sections along span

where

d2 N (y)
(x)
dy 2
i


2

Bi = N (y) d i (x) , (33)

dx2
dN (y) d (x)
i
2
dy dx

and the isotropic material matrix D is given by

1 0 D11 D12 0
Et3 1 = D21
D= 0 D22 0 . (34)
12(1 2 )
0 0 12 0 0 D33

In Eq. (33), the cubic beam shape functions are denoted by the row vector N (y).
1416 J. KONG and D. THUNG

Explicitly, ki,j can be written as

L L
d2 j (x)
ki,j = D11 I22 i (x)j (x)dx + D12 I20 i (x) dx
0 0 dx2

L
d2 i (x) L
d2 i (x) d2 j (x)
+ D21 I02 j (x)dx + D22 I00 dx
0 dx2 0 dx2 dx2
L
di (x) dj (x)
+ 4D33 I11 dx, (35)
0 dx dx

where
d
d T d
I = N (y) N (y)dy, (36)
0 dy dy

and L = 2l, and d is the width of each nite strip.

Explicit forms for the strip stiness matrix are obtained using the software Mathematica.
Similar to the previous one-dimensional beam problem, the strip stiness matrix equation with
inherent sparsity is given by

ki,i3 i3 + ki,i2 i2 + ki,i1 i1 + ki,i i + ki,i+1 i+1 + ki,i+2 i+2 + ki,i+3 i+3 = fi , (37)

where

2416D11I22 h 240(D12I21 + D21 I12 ) 96D22 I00 960D33I11

ki,i = + + ,

5040 360h 36h 3 360h






1191D11 I22 h 45(D12 I21 + D21 I12 ) 54D22 I00

180D33 I11
ki,i+1 = + 3
= ki,i1 ,
5040 360h 36h 360h
(38)

120D11 I22 h 72(D12 I21 + D21 I12 ) 0D22 I00 288D33 I11

k = + = ki,i2 ,

i,i+2 36h3


5040 360h 360h



k D11 I22 h 3(D12 I21 + D21 I12 ) 6D22 I00 12D33 I11
i,i+3 = + + 3
= ki,i3 ,
5040 360h 36h 360h
 
and ki,j = 0, if i j   4.
In Eq. (37), the strip displacement variable vector at the spline knot i is denoted by i =
[w1 , 1 , w2 , 2 ]T
i .
Each ki,j of Eq. (35) is a 44 matrix, and can be partitioned according to nodal lines 1 and
2 as  
ka kb
ki,j = . (39)
kd kc i,j
The global stiness matrix of the periodic plate system with 2m strips can be assembled in
the usual manner with elements denoted by Ki,j as follows:

ka + kc kb 0 kd
..
kd ka + kc kb 0 .

Ki,j =
0 kd ka + kc kb 0
, (40)
.. .. ..
. . .
kb 0 kd ka + kc i,j

where Ki,j = 0 if |i j|  4.
 Convergence and exact solutions of spline nite strip method 1417

Corresponding to Ki,j , j denotes the nodal line variable vector at the spline knot j, that
is,

j = [w1 , 1 , w2 , 2 , , wk , k , , w2m , 2m ]T
j . (41)

As the system is periodic in both directions, the U-transformation is applied successively

along the span and across the width, or in essence, a double U-transformation is applied as
  N  M  
wk 1 1 i(j1)r i(k1)s q1
= e e , (42)
k j M N q2 rs
r=1 s=1

where = n , = m

, N = 2n, and M = 2m.
It can be shown that the global stiness matrix can be diagonalized as


N 
M
krs = K1j ei(j1)r ei(k1)s
j=1 k=1


M
= (K1,1 ei(11)r + K1,2 ei(21)r + K1,3 ei(31)r + K1,4 ei(41)r + K1,N ei(N 1)r
k=1

+ K1,N 1 ei(N 2)r + K1,N 2 ei(N 3)r )ei(k1)s


M
= (K1,1 + K1,2 eir + K1,3 e2ir + K1,4 e3ir + K1,N ei(1)r + K1,N 1 ei(2)r
k=1

+ K1,N 2 ei(3)r )ei(k1)s


M
= (K1,1 + 2K1,2 cos(r) + 2K1,3 cos(2r) + 2K1,4 cos(3r))ei(k1)s
k=1
= ((ka + kc )1,1 + 2(ka + kc )1,2 cos(r) + 2(ka + kc )1,3 cos(2r) + 2(ka + kc )1,4 cos(3r))
ei(11)s + ((kb )1,1 + 2(kb )1,2 cos(r) + 2(kb )1,3 cos(2r) + 2(kb )1,4 cos(3r))ei(21)s
+ ((kd )1,1 + 2(kd )1,2 cos(r) + 2(kd )1,3 cos(2r) + 2(kd )1,4 cos(3r))ei(M1)s
= (kra + krc ) + krb eis + krd eis , (43)

where



kra + krc = (ka + kc )1,1 + 2(ka + kc )1,2 cos(r) + 2(ka + kc )1,3 cos(2r)

+ 2(ka + kc )1,4 cos(3r),
(44)

krb = (kb )1,1 + 2(kb )1,2 cos(r) + 2(kb )1,3 cos(2r) + 2(kb )1,4 cos(3r),


krd = (kd )1,1 + 2(kd )1,2 cos(r) + 2(kd )1,3 cos(2r) + 2(kd )1,4 cos(3r).

Assume that the original plate is subject to a uniformly distributed load p over the entire
surface. Then, the strip load vector is given by
d L
fi = p i (x)N T (y)dxdy. (45)
0 0

Assembling for the periodic plate system, we obtain components of the global load vector

Fk,1 = 0 = Fk,n+1 = Fk,N +1 , (46)

1418 J. KONG and D. THUNG


22  d2 T

hp 0, if k = 1,

24 6

 2 T


22 hp 0, d if k = m + 1,
Fk,2 = Fk,n = Fk,n+2 = Fk,N = 24 6 (47)

22

hp[d, 0]T if k = 2, 3, , m,

24




22 hp[d, 0]T if k = m + 2, m + 3, , 2m.
24
Otherwise,

d2 T

hp 0, if k = 1,

6

 
d2 T
Fk,j = hp 0, 6 if k = m + 1, (48)





hp[d, 0]T if k = 2, 3, , m,


hp[d, 0]T if k = m + 2, m + 3, , 2m.

In Eqs. (46)(48), Fk,j represents the load vector components on the nodal line k and the
spline knot j (see Fig. 5).
Applying the U-transformation to the load vector yields

1   i(j1)r i(k1)s
N M
1
frs = e e Fk,j
N M j=1 k=1


2i sin(s )


2hp
i sin(r)   1 1 cos(s ) d

hp 1
+ (i sin(r)) if r, s = odd,
= N 1 cos(r) N3 M 2d2 (49)



6


0, otherwise.

Using the transformed stiness matrix in Eqs. (43) and (44) and the transformed load vector
in Eq. (49), we can write
 
q
((kra + krc ) + krb eis + krd eis ) 1
q2 rs

2i sin(s )
  d
2hp i sin(r) hp 1 1 1 cos(s )
= + i sin(r) , (50)
N 1 cos(r) N3 M 2d2
6
where solutions q1 and q2 can be obtained in a closed form. Assume that both m and n are
even numbers. The deection variables at the center of the plate become
       
w w m2 +1 w m2 +1 w m2 +1
= + +
x= l ,y= H m2 +1 n m2 +1 n +1 m2 +1 n +2
2 2 2 2 2

1  
1  
M1 N
1 1 r s q1
= sin sin (2 + cos(r)) . (51)
3 s=1,3,5, N M 2 2 q2
r=1,3,5,
 Convergence and exact solutions of spline nite strip method 1419

It can be shown that (the details are given in Appendix A),

4  
m1 n1
1 1 r s
wx= l ,y= H = sin sin (2 + cos(r))q1 , (52)
2 2 3 s=1,3,5, r=1,3,5, N M 2 2

and

x= l ,y= H = 0. (53)
2 2

By expanding q1 and q2 into Taylors series and considering only the rst three terms, we
obtain the deection at the center

192(1 2 )p 
m1  
n1
r s

1

w= sin sin  r2 
s2 2
E 6 t3 2 2 rs l2 +
s=1,3,5, r=1,3,5, H2

s 2
r2 
p(1 2 )( rl )( Hs ) s2  4
r  2
r 2 s2  4 
+ 2 2 + 2 d + 2 + h
15E 2 t3 ( rl2 + Hs 2 )4 HL H l2 H2 l l2 H2
+ higher order terms. (54)

The rst term corresponds to the classical Naviers solution of thin plates[13] , while the
second error terms reveal that the deection converges at the asymptotic rates of h4 and d4 as
n approaches innity.
As previously described in Section 3, by considering a general load q(x, y) acting on an
arbitrary spline section of a nite strip, the same linear periodic system can be formed by
imposing the corresponding, anti-symmetrical loads on the contiguous plate panels. Then, the
load vectors can be formed by integrating the strip shape functions and spline functions involved
and subsequently transformed as in Eq. (49). The exact deection solution can be obtained
following the same approach as given in Eqs. (49) (54). By the principle of superposition, the
exact solution for any arbitrarily distributed load acting on the plate can be found.
Similar to vibration problems, the strip mass matrices can be easily obtained as follows:

mi,j = t N T (y)N (y)i (x)j (x)dydx (55)

with the inherent sparsity as the stiness matrix, that is,

2416I00 t
mi,i =
,

5040



1191I00 t

mi,i+1 = = mi,i1 ,
5040
(56)

120I00 t

m = = mi,i2 ,
i,i+2
5040




mi,i+3 = I00 t = mi,i3 ,
5040

which can be partitioned as

 
ma mb
mi,j = . (57)
md mc i,j
1420 J. KONG and D. THUNG

Similar to Eq. (43), it can be shown that the global mass matrix can be diagonalized as
follows:

N 
M
mrs = M1j ei(j1)r ei(k1)s = (mra + mrc ) + mrb eis + mrd eis , (58)
j=1 k=1

where
mra + mrc = (ma + mc )1,1 + 2(ma + mc )1,2 cos(r) + 2(ma + mc )1,3 cos(2r)
+ 2(ma + mc )1,4 cos(3r),
mrb = (mb )1,1 + 2(mb )1,2 cos(r) + 2(mb )1,3 cos(2r) + 2(mb )1,4 cos(3r),
mrd = (md )1,1 + 2(md )1,2 cos(r) + 2(md )1,3 cos(2r) + 2(md )1,4 cos(3r).

From Eqs. (43), (44), and (58), the frequencies and mode shapes can be found by solving the
22 eigenvalue problem:
 
    q1
(kra + krc ) + krb eis + krd eis 2 (mra + mrc ) + mrb eis + mrd eis = 0. (59)
q2 rs
The eigenvalue can be found directly by solving the quadratic equation in 2 , and expanding
the root into Taylors series, we obtain
4 D
r2 s2 2 D

s 8 4
r 8 4 
2 = + + d + h + higher order terms. (60)
t H 2 l2 720t l H
For a plate subject to the in-plane uniform compression x along the x -axis, the geometric
matrix is given by

gi,j = x N T (y)N (y)i (x)j (x)dydx (61)

with the same inherent sparsity

240x I00 45x I00
gi,i = , gi,i+1 = = gi,i1 ,
360h 360h (62)
gi,i+2 = 72x I00 = gi,i2 , gi,i+3 = 3I00 = gi,i3 .

360h 360h
Following the same approach as for vibration problems, the geometric matrix can be di-
agonalized using the double U-transformation. The resulting 22 eigenvalue problem can be
directly solved for the buckling load factor
4 D
r2 s2  2 D

s 8
4

r 8 
x = r 2 + + d + h4
( H ) H2 l2 720( r
H)
2 l H
+ higher order terms. (63)
Apparently, from the rst term of Eqs. (60) and (63), the spline nite strip solution does
converge to the analytical frequencies and the buckling load, respectively[13] . The second term
of these equations reveals the error of spline strip solutions and its rate of convergence.
By comparing the spline nite strip results in Eqs. (54), (60), and (63) with the convergence
rates of the deection, frequency, and buckling load of the well-known, non-conforming, rect-
angular plate element with 12 degrees of freedom[1] , it is now clear that the former converges
at a much faster rate of m4 (assume that m = n) with fewer unknowns, while the latter only
converges at the rate of m2 . The same conclusion on the convergence rate can also be drawn
when compared with the nite dierence method[12] ; the latter only converges at the same
asymptotic rate as the non-conforming nite elements.
 Convergence and exact solutions of spline nite strip method 1421

5 Conclusions

Exact solutions of the spline nite strips in bending, vibration, and buckling analyses of
thin plates are derived using the U-transformation. As the number of spline sections and the
number of strips approach innity, the converged solutions agree with the analytical solutions.
Explicit forms of error terms and rates of convergence are also derived and compared with nite
elements and nite dierence methods. It is found that the spline FSM converges at a much
faster rate than that of the conventional non-conforming nite elements, yet involving a smaller
number of unknowns. The same result also applies to the convergence in comparison with the
conventional nite dierence method. The method is currently extended to general folded plate
structures with higher-order plate theories and arbitrarily distributed loads.

Acknowledgements The authors would like to thank Mr W. Y. Lee for his assistance.

References
[1] Chan, H. C., Cai, C. W., and Cheung, Y. K. Exact Analysis of Structures with Periodicity Using
U-Transformation, World Scientic, Singapore (1998)
[2] Cai, C. W., Liu, J. K., and Chan, H. C. Exact Analysis of Bi-Periodic Structures, World Scientic,
Singapore (2002)
[3] Yang, Y., Liu, J. K., and Cai, C. W. Analytical solutions to stress concentration problem in plates
containing rectangular hole under biaxial tensions. Acta Mechanica Solida Sinica, 21(5), 411419
(2008)
[4] Cheung, Y. K. Finite strip method in the analysis of elastic plates with two opposite ends simply
supported. Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers, 40, 17 (1968)
[5] Cheung, Y. K. and Tham, L. G. Finite Strip Method, CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida (1998)
[6] Loo, Y. C. and Cusens, A. R. The Finite Strip Method in Bridge Engineering, Cement and Concrete
Association, Slough (1978)
[7] Cheung, M. S., Li, W., and Chidiac, S. E. Finite Strip Analysis of Bridges, E & FN Spon, London/
New York (1996)
[8] Friedrich, R. Finite strip method: 30 years a bibliography (19681998). Engineering Computations,
17(1), 92111 (2000)
[9] Smith, S. S. and Allen, M. B. Error analysis of the nite strip method for parabolic equations.
Journal of Numerical Methods for Partial Dierential Equations, 9(6), 667690 (1993)
[10] Li, Y. The U-Transformation and the Hamiltonian Techniques for the Finite Strip Method, Ph. D.
dissertation, the University of Hong Kong (1996)
[11] Yang, Y., Cai, C. W., and Liu, J. K. Convergence studies on static and dynamic analysis of beams
using the U-transformation method and nite dierence method. Journal of Structural Engineering
and Mechanics, 31(4), 383392 (2009)
[12] Liu, J. K., Yang, Y., and Cai, C. W. Convergence studies on static and dynamic analysis of plates
using the U-transformation method and nite dierence method. Journal of Sound and Vibration,
289, 6676 (2006)
[13] Szilard, R. Theories and Applications of Plate Analysis: Classical, Numerical, and Engineering
Methods, John Wiley & Sons, New York (2004)

Appendix A
Let f (r, s) and g(r, s) be
8 r s
< f (r, s) = sin sin (2 + cos(r))q1 ,
2 2 (A1)
: g(r, s) = sin r sin s
(2 + cos(r))q2 .
2 2
1422 J. KONG and D. THUNG

If n and m are even, then it can be shown that

8
< f (2n r, s) = f (r, s),
>
f (r, 2m s) = f (r, s), (A2)
>
:
f (2n r, 2m s) = f (r, s),

and
8
< g(2n r, s) = f (r, s),
>
g(r, 2m s) = g(r, s), (A3)
>
:
g(2n r, 2m s) = g(r, s).

As such,

wx= l ,y= H
2 2

1 X
M 1 X
N1
1 1 r s
= sin sin (2 + cos(r))q1
3 s=1,3,5, r=1,3,5, N M 2 2

1 X
M 1 X
N1
= f (r, s)
3 NM s=1,3,5, r=1,3,5,

1 X
m1 X
n1
= (f (r, s) + f (2n r, s) + f (r, 2m s) + f (2n r, 2m s))
3 NM s=1,3,5, r=1,3,5,

1 X
m1 X
n1
= (f (r, s) + f (r, s) + f (r, s) + f (r, s))
3 NM s=1,3,5, r=1,3,5,

4 X
m1 X
n1
= f (r, s), (A4)
3 NM s=1,3,5, r=1,3,5,

x= l ,y= H
2 2

1 X
M 1 X
N1
1 1 r s
= sin sin (2 + cos(r))q2
3 s=1,3,5, r=1,3,5, N M 2 2

1 X
M 1 X
N1
= g(r, s)
3 NM s=1,3,5, r=1,3,5,

1 X
m1 X
n1
= (g(r, s) + g(2n r, s) + g(r, 2m s) + g(2n r, 2m s))
3 NM s=1,3,5, r=1,3,5,

1 X
m1 X
n1
= (g(r, s) + g(r, s) g(r, s) g(r, s))
3 NM s=1,3,5, r=1,3,5,

= 0. (A5)