A discrete model for force-based elasticity and plasticity

Abstract

The article presents a mathematical model that simulates the elastic and plastic behaviour of discrete systems representing isotropic materials. The systems consist of one lattice of nodes connected by edges and a second lattice with nodes placed at the centres of the existing edges. The derivation is based on the assumption that the kinematics of the second lattice is induced by the kinematics of the first, and uses stored energies in edges of both lattices to derive a edge forces in the first lattice. This leads to a non-linear system of algebraic equations describing elasticity and plasticity in lattices. A numerical solution to the non-linear system is proposed by providing a matrix formulation necessary for software implementation. An illustrative example is given to justify the formulation and demonstrate the system behaviour.