An energy conserving co-rotational procedure for non-linear dynamics with finite elements

A new procedure is proposed for implicit dynamic analysis using the finite element method. The main aim is to give stable solutions with large time-steps in the presence of significant rigid body motions, in particular rotations. In contrast to most conventional approaches, the time integration strategy is closely linked to the "element technology" with the latter involving a form of co-rotational procedure. For the undamped situation, the solution procedure leads to an algorithm that exactly conserves energy when constant external forces are applied (i.e. with gravity loading).