Journal of Structural and Construction Engineering

Journal of Structural and Construction Engineering

Analysis of beams on elastic foundations by finite element method and new modified element

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
1 Master of Science, Faculty of Engineering, Toos Institute of Higher Education, Mashhad, Iran
2 Assistant Professor, Faculty of Engineering, Toos Institute of Higher Education, Mashhad, Iran
10.22065/jsce.2025.537407.3782
Abstract
Ther are various methods for analyzing various types of structures, among which the finite element method can be mentioned as one of the most widely used numerical methods in civil engineering. This research deals with the analysis of beams with various boundary conditions on an elastic Winkler foundation. For this purpose, three new bending elements are proposed by the authors for the first time. These elements, unlike the conventional element with two-node and four degrees of freedom that is common in the analysis of these structures, all have six degrees of freedom and have two, three, and four nodes, respectively. After introducing the governing boundary value problem, all three proposed elements are formulated, and their interpolating functions and stiffness matrices will be calculated. A valuable feature of these three elements is the lack of need for meshing and, as a result, the use of the assembly technique to find the total stiffness matrix. Considering the power of the proposed elements, the problem will be solved by using only one element. Three numerical examples are examined to study the efficiency of these elements and the deflection, slope, bending moment and shear force values of beams at specific points are compared using the conventional element, the three proposed elements and the exact solution. The results indicate that all three proposed elements have excellent accuracy in calculating deflection, but the first proposed element shows better accuracy in calculating internal forces. Therefore, the use of these components will significantly reduce the computational cost in structural analysis.
Keywords

Subjects


[1] Zakeri, J. A., Motieyan, M. E., Shadfar, M. (2012). Study on lifted-up length of rail on modified Winkler model. Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 42 (1), 21-28.
[2] RoshanBaksh, M. Z., Navayi Neya, B. (2016). Free vibration of beam-like media in three-dimensional mode resting on a Pasternak elastic foundation. Modares Civil Engineering Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 16 (5), 89-100.
[3] Karkon, M, Karkon, H. (2016). New element formulation for free vibration analysis of Timoshenko beam on Pasternak elastic foundation. Asian Journal of Civil Engineering, 17 (4), 427-442.
[4] Zhang, Y., Liu, X., Wei, Y. (2018). Response of an infinite beam on a bilinear elastic foundation: Bridging the gap between the Winkler and tensionless foundation models. European Journal of Mechanics-A/Solids, 71, 394-403.
[5] Babar, A. B., Sahoo, R. (2024). Static, buckling and free vibration analysis of CNT reinforced composite beams with elastic foundation using IHSDT. Journal of Vibration Engineering & Technologies, 12, 8131-8150.
[6] Previati, G., Ballo, F., Stabile, P. (2025) Beams on elastic foundation: A variable reduction approach for nonlinear contact problem. European Journal of Mechanics-A/Solids, 111, 105514.
[7] Chen, Z., Cheng, Q., Jin, X., Borodich, F. (2024) Dynamic stiffness for a Levinson beam embedded within a Pasternak Medium subjected to axial load at both ends. Buildings, 14, 4008.
[8] Lamprea-Pineda, A., Connolly, D., Hussein, M. (2022) Beams on elastic foundations – A review of railway applications and solutions. Transportation Geotechnics, 33, 100696.
[9] Erofeev, V., Lisenkova, E., Tsarev, I. (2021) Dynamic behavior of a beam lying on a generalized elastic foundation and subject to a moving load. Mechanics of Solids, 56, 1295-1306.
[10] Rezaiee-Pajand, M., Rajabzadeh-Safaei, N., Hozhabrossadati, S. M. (2023) On the damping influence on the dynamic analysis of functionally graded beams resting on elastic foundation by Green’s function method. Mechanics Based design of Structures and Machines, 51, 1666-1683.
[11] Chen, H., Cai, Y., Zhang, J., Lv, X., Li, X. (2024) Analytical solutions for out-of-plane response of curved beams resting on an elastic foundation under a random moving load. Engineering Structures, 318, 118753.
[12] Jiang, J., Lian, C., Meng, B., Jing, H., Fang, X., Wang, J. (2025) An approximate solution of the bending of the beams on a nonlinear elastic foundation with the Galerkin method. Journal of Applied and Computational Mechanics, 11, 285-293.
[13] Ma, W., Li, X. (2024) Dynamic stability of rectangular and circular cantilevers on Winkler-Pasternak elastic foundation by a higher-order beam theory. Mechanics Based design of Structures and Machines, 52, 6698-6726.
[14] Barber, J. A. (2011) Intermediate Mechanics of Materials, Solid Mechanics and Its Applications. Springer Science, 2nd edition, chapter 7, Germany.

  • Receive Date 27 July 2025
  • Revise Date 01 November 2025
  • Accept Date 14 November 2025