Large deformation analysis of orthotropic membranes using the finite particle method

Due to the orthotropic and tensile nonlinear characteristics of thin structural membranes, the constitutive relation and large deformation behavior of these materials are complicated, as it always has strong geometry and material nonlinearity. The finite particle method (FPM) is a novel structural numerical method, which models the analyzed domain by a set of discretized particles instead of a mathematical continuous body in those traditional methods based on analytical mechanics. It describes structural behaviors by analyzing particles movement. With the concept of path unit, it is convenient to introduce various constitutive laws of membranes in the evaluation of internal forces. This paper explores the possibility of the proposed method being applied in the large deformation analysis of membrane structures exhibiting the geometric and material nonlinearity. According to the constitutive theory of composite materials, two material models (i.e. linear and nonlinear orthotropic models) are developed and implemented in the program. Numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the validity and applicability of this method.