Thin-Walled Structures 32 (1998) 289303

Analysis of deep beams and shear walls by

finite strip method with C 0 continuous
displacement functions
Y.K. Cheung*, F.T.K. Au, D.Y. Zheng
Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, PR
China

Abstract
This paper presents a new finite strip method for the analysis of deep beams and shear
walls. The essence of the method lies in the adoption of displacement functions possessing
the right amount of continuity at the ends as well as at locations of abrupt changes of thickness.
The concept of periodic extension in Fourier series is utilized to improve the accuracy of the
stresses at the strip ends. The equilibrium conditions at locations of abrupt changes of thickness
are taken into account by the incorporation of piecewise linear correction functions. As these
displacement functions are built up from harmonic functions with appropriate corrections, they
possess both the advantages of fast convergence of harmonic functions as well as appropriate
order of continuity. Numerical results also show that the method is versatile, efficient and
accurate. 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Deep beam; Shear wall; Finite strip method; C 0-continuous function

1. Introduction
In the analysis of plane elasticity problems by the finite strip method, the choice
of longitudinal interpolation functions is of utmost importance. In the semi-analytical
finite strip method [1], the interpolation functions have to satisfy a priori the boundary conditions in the longitudinal direction and they are normally the eigen-functions
of vibration or stability of an Euler beam. In the spline finite strip method [2], C2* Corresponding author.
0263-8231/98/$ - see front matter 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
PII: S 0 2 6 3 - 8 2 3 1 ( 9 8 ) 0 0 0 2 4 - X

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Y.K. Cheung et al. / Thin-Walled Structures 32 (1998) 289303

continuous B3-spline functions are chosen instead. However, these methods are not
capable of dealing with problems involving abrupt changes of thickness because of
the excessive continuity inherent in the longitudinal interpolation functions. More
recently, Cheung and Kong [3] developed a new set of displacement functions for
the analysis of two-dimensional elasticity problems. Computed shape functions are
used longitudinally whereas Lagrangian shape functions are adopted in the transverse
direction. In this way, C 0 continuity across all boundaries between adjacent strips
is maintained. A strip with abrupt changes in rigidity is made up of component strips
stitched together at the ends.
This paper presents a new finite strip method for the analysis of deep beams and
shear walls. The use of finite strips with abrupt changes in rigidity is made possible
by displacement functions possessing the right amount of continuity at the ends as
well as at locations of abrupt changes of thickness. The concept of the periodic
extension of Fourier series is extended beyond the normal half-range expansions to
ensure that the first derivatives and hence the stresses at the end points of the halfrange are well defined. In addition, piecewise linear augmenting functions are superimposed on the basic harmonic functions making the resulting interpolation function
C 0-continuous at locations of abrupt changes of thickness, so that the equilibrium
conditions there are satisfied. The application of similar approaches to beams with
abrupt changes of cross-sections has been rather successful [4].
The chosen interpolation functions therefore possess both the advantages of fast
convergence of harmonic functions and the appropriate order of continuity at the
locations of abrupt changes of sectional properties. The method allows the extensive
use of matrix notations and programming is rather straightforward. The present
method can cope with strips with abrupt changes of rigidity as well as rectangular
domains with re-entrant corners. A few numerical examples are given to demonstrate
the versatility, efficiency and accuracy of the method.
2. Basic harmonic functions
An arbitrary function f(y) continuous over the interval [0,l] may be written in
terms of the basic trigonometric functions as
f (y)

a0

ancos

n1

ny
ny
bnsin
l
l

(1)

in which periodic extension is implicit [5]. This form of periodic extension is superior
to the normal form of half-range expansions involving either odd or even components, as the function and its derivatives are well defined at the end points of the
interval. In the analysis of cantilever deep beams and shear walls, it is often more
convenient to adopt an equivalent set of displacement functions Ym(y),m
1,2, with zero values at the base, i.e.

Y2n 1(y) 1 cos

ny
ny
sin
l
l

n 1,2,,r/2

(2)

Y.K. Cheung et al. / Thin-Walled Structures 32 (1998) 289303

Y2n(y) 1 cos

ny
ny
sin
l
l

n 1,2,,r/2

291

(3)

This set of functions is a complete set to describe an arbitrary function f(y) in

which f(y)y=0 0. It is important to note that, unlike vibration functions obtained
from cantilever beams, the slope of the resulting displacement function may be nonzero at the starting point. This is essential to structures in which shear effect is significant.

3. C 0 modified harmonic function set

A shear wall can be sub-divided into finite strips extending from the base to the
top. Fig. 1 shows a typical strip of width b comprising s segments of different thicknesses t t1,t2,,ts with step change of thickness at locations y y2,y3,,ys. The
displacements u and v in x and y directions, respectively, at an arbitrary point (x,y)
within the strip can be written in series form as

u(x,y)

Ymu(y)M(x)um

(4)

Ymv(y)M(x)vm

(5)

m1
r

v(x,y)

m1

where Ymu(y) and Ymv(y) are the mth terms of the series part of the displacement
function, M(x) is a row vector containing the shape functions, and um and vm are
vectors containing the corresponding displacement parameters associated with the
nodal lines. They are further elaborated below in Eqs. (6)(10).
Ymu(y) Ym(y)

(6)

Ymv(y) Ym(y) Ym(y)

(7)

Fig. 1. A cantilever strip comprising s segments of thicknesses t1,t2,, ts and with step changes in
thickness at locations y2,y3,,ys.

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Y.K. Cheung et al. / Thin-Walled Structures 32 (1998) 289303

M(x) 1

x x
b b

(8)

um [u1 u2]Tm

(9)

vm [v1 v2]Tm

(10)

The functions Ymu(y) for displacements in the x direction can be simply taken as
the functions Ym(y) defined in Eqs. (2) and (3). However, the functions Ymv(y) used
to describe displacements in y direction should be capable of satisfying the equilibrium conditions at step change of thickness, and hence piecewise linear augmenting
functions Ym(y) are incorporated to satisfy C 0-continuity conditions at locations y
y2,y3,,ys. In a plane stress problem, the equilibrium condition at a step change of
thickness can be written as
Y m (t)y yj 0

tj

Y m(y)y yj 0 (j 2,3,,s)

tj 1

(11)

The properties of the augmenting function Ym(y) can be obtained from Eqs. (8)
and (11), i.e.
Y m (y)y yj 0

tj
tj 1

Y m(y)y yj 0

tj
tj 1

1 Y m(y)y yj

(j

(12)

2,3,,s)
If we set f j Ym(y)y yj and hk yk 1 yk, then the augmenting function
Ym(y) can be written as:

s1

Ym(y)

fj lj (y)

(13)

j1

where
y yj 1
yj yj 1

l (y) y y
y 0y

j1

j1

yj 1 y yj (omitted if j 1)
yj y yj 1 (omitted if j s 1)

(14)

y [yj 1,yj 1]

Introducing the parameters j and j defined as follows

tj
tj 1

(j 2,3,,s)

(15)

Y.K. Cheung et al. / Thin-Walled Structures 32 (1998) 289303

j (j 1)Y m(y)y yj

293

(j 2,3,,s)

(16)

Eq. (12) can be written as

hj fj 1 + [hj + hj 1j ]fj hj 1j fj + 1 = hj 1hj j

(j = 2,3,,s)

(17)

The augmenting function is also prescribed to be zero at the two ends, i.e.
f 1 fs 1 0

(18)

Eqs. (17) and (18) represent (s 1) conditions whereby the augmenting function
Ym(y) can be uniquely determined.

4. Finite strip formulation

The displacement functions given in Eqs. (4) and (5) can be expressed in matrix
form as

U(x,y)

Nm(x,y)m

(19)

m1

where U(x,y) is the vector containing displacements at the point (x,y), Nm(x,y) is the
mth the shape function matrix and m is the displacement vector associated with it.
Their explicit forms are given below:
U(x,y)

u(x,y)

(20)

v(x,y)

m [u1v1u2v2]Tm

Nm(x,y)

x
Y (y)
b mu
0

(21)
0

x
Y (y)
b mu

x
1 Ymv(y)
b

x
Y (y)
b mv

(22)

Following the normal formulation procedures, the strain vector (x,y) can be written in terms of the strain matrices Bm(x,y) as

(x,y) DiffU(x,y) Diff

m1

Nm(x,y)m

Bm(x,y)m

(23)

m1

where the explicit forms of the differential operator Diff and the strain matrix
Bm(x,y) are

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Y.K. Cheung et al. / Thin-Walled Structures 32 (1998) 289303

Diff 0

(24)

1
Y
b mu

Bm(x,y)

x
Y
b mu

1
Y
b mu

x
Y
b mv

1
Y
b mv

x
Y
b mv

(25)

x
1
Y
Y
b mu b mv

The equilibrium equation can be written as

Kmnn Fm m 1,2,,r

(26)

n1

where Kmn is a stiffness sub-matrix and Fm is a load sub-vector. The stiffness submatrix Kmn is obtained from integrating over the volume V of the strip, i.e.

Kmn BTmDBndV

(27)

The elasticity matrix D for an orthotropic material used in plane stress problems is

k1 k2 0

D k2 k3 0

(28)

0 0 k4

where the elements are expressed in terms of the moduli of elasticity Ex and Ey, the
shear modulus Gxy and the Poissons ratio x and y
k1

xEy
Ex
Ey
, k2
, k3
, k Gxy
1 xy
1 xy
1 xy 4

(2932)

Substituting Eqs. (25) and (28) into Eq. (27), the explicit form of the stiffness
sub-matrix Kmn can be worked out as

Y.K. Cheung et al. / Thin-Walled Structures 32 (1998) 289303

3k1I1 + k4b2I2
3b

Kmn =

k2I5 + k4I6
2

6k1I1 + k4b2I2

6b

k2I5 k4I6
2

295

k 2 I3 k 4 I4
2

6k1I1 + k4b2I2
6b

k3b2I7 + 3k4I8
3b

k2I5 k4I6
2

k3b2I7 6k4I8
6b

k2I3 k4I4
2

3k1I1 + k4b2I2
3b

k2I3 k4I4
2

k3b2I7 6k4I8
6b

k2I5 + k4I6
2

k2I3 + k4I4
2

k3b2I7 + 3k4I8
3b

(33)
where

(3437)

(3841)

I1 = tYmuYnudy, I2 = tY muY nudy, I3 = tYmuY nvdy, I4 = tY muYnvdy,

0
l

0
l

0
l

0
l

I5 = tY mvYnudy, I6 = tYmvY nudy, I7 = tY mvY nvdy, I8 = tYmvYnvdy,

0

5. Numerical examples
A number of numerical examples are given to demonstrate the versatility of the
present method. Results obtained by the present method are compared with solutions
published before if available or solutions obtained by finite element method [6]. As
some of the examples published before were presented using imperial units, these
units are omitted altogether for simplicity.
5.1. Example 1: rectangular shear wall supported on two wide columns
Fig. 2 shows a rectangular shear wall supported on two wide columns of the same
thickness. The material is isotropic with Youngs modulus E of 471 000 and Poissons ratio of 0.375. A horizontal point load of 20 is applied to its top left corner.
This structure can be considered as a shear wall with a large rectangular opening at
the base. This problem has been studied by various researchers [3,7]. The shear wall
was discretized into 16 strips of equal width and solved by the present method using
16 terms. The first category of strips are the four strips going through the two wide
columns, and they run from the base to the top. The other category of 12 strips are
those above the opening. The boundary conditions at the three edges adjacent to the
opening are natural boundary conditions. As this formulation is of the Rayleigh
Ritz type, the natural boundary conditions are therefore automatically dealt with.
However, in the formulation of the stiffness matrices for the 12 strips above the

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Y.K. Cheung et al. / Thin-Walled Structures 32 (1998) 289303

Fig. 2.

Shear wall supported on two wide columns.

opening, integration is only carried out over the solid height above the opening. The
problem was also solved by the finite element method using 2528 QM6 incompatible
elements [6]. The vertical stresses over the horizontal cross-section at y 4 are
shown in Fig. 3 and compared with the finite element solution [6] as well as those
from finite strips with computed shape functions [3]. Sharp variation of stresses is
observed as the cross-section is close to the wall-frame interfaces. Very good agreement is observed between the present results and the reference results.
5.2. Example 2: deep cantilever beam with step change in thickness
Fig. 4 shows a deep cantilever beam made of isotropic material with step change
in thickness. The Youngs modulus E is 1.0 and Poissons ratio is 0.15. The
beam supports a downward unit point load at the top right corner. Two schemes of
discretization were tried. The deep beam was respectively discretized into four and
10 strips of equal widths. The number of terms used was varied to study the convergence of the present method. The deflections at two points of the tip are summarized
in Table 1 and compared with the reference solution obtained using 1800 QM6
incompatible elements [6]. Very good agreement is observed. Incidentally, the results
obtained from the coarse mesh comprising four strips are only 1.6% less than the

Y.K. Cheung et al. / Thin-Walled Structures 32 (1998) 289303

297

Fig. 3. Shear wall supported on two wide columns, distribution of vertical stresses (y) over the horizontal cross section at y = 4.

Fig. 4.

Cantilever deep beam with step change in thickness.

reference solution. The stresses computed using 10 strips and 10 terms are presented
in Figs. 5 and 6. In particular, Fig. 5 shows the bending stresses at the vertical crosssections just adjacent to the step change in thickness. The bending stresses along
the centre line of the lowest strip (i.e. at x 9.5) are shown in Fig. 6. Both figures
show very good agreement between the present results and the finite element
results [6].

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Y.K. Cheung et al. / Thin-Walled Structures 32 (1998) 289303

Table 1
Deep cantilever beam with step change in thickness, deflections at two points of the tip
Scheme used in the present
method
4 strips, 12 terms
4 strips, 14 terms
4 strips, 16 terms
4 strips, 18 terms
4 strips, 20 terms
10 strips, 12 terms
10 strips, 14 terms
10 strips, 16 terms
10 strips, 18 terms
10 strips, 20 terms
FEM [6]

Deflection at x = 5, y = 20

212.88
212.94
212.97
212.99
213.01
215.54
215.61
215.63
215.65
215.68
216.31

Deflection at x = 10, y = 20

208.86
208.91
208.94
208.96
208.97
211.58
211.67
211.68
211.71
211.74
212.36

Fig. 5. Cantilever deep beam with step change in thickness, bending stresses (y) adjacent to step change
in thickness.

5.3. Example 3: deep cantilever beam with step change in depth

Fig. 7 shows a deep cantilever beam of unit thickness but with step change in
depth. The material is isotropic with a Youngs modulus E of 1.0 and Poissons ratio
of 0.15. The beam is subjected to a unit point load at the top of the cantilever
tip. It is discretized into 10 strips of equal width. Twenty terms were used in the
present analysis. The beam was also analysed by the finite element method [6] using
3200 QM6 incompatible elements. Figs. 8 and 9 show the bending stresses at the
root (y 0) and the section at y 9.5. The present method is capable of predicting
stress concentration around the re-entrant corner, and good agreement is observed
between the present results and the reference solution.

Y.K. Cheung et al. / Thin-Walled Structures 32 (1998) 289303

Fig. 6.

299

Deep cantilever beam with step change in thickness, bending stresses (y) along the line x = 9.5.

Fig. 7.

Cantilever deep beam with step change in depth.

5.4. Example 4: asymmetrical coupled shear wall with step change in thickness
Fig. 10(a) shows an asymmetrical coupled shear wall with step change in thickness
previously studied by Chan and Cheung [8] by higher order finite elements. The
wall is subjected to a unit horizontal uniformly distributed load at the left side. The
wall is assumed to be made of isotropic material having Youngs modulus E of
463 000 and Poissons ratio of 0.0. In the analysis of coupled shear walls, the
spandrel beams and openings between the coupled shear walls are very often represented by an orthotropic continuum with equivalent elastic properties. Referring
to Fig. 10(b), the equivalent Youngs moduli of the continuum in the x and y direc-

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Y.K. Cheung et al. / Thin-Walled Structures 32 (1998) 289303

Fig. 8. Cantilever deep beam with step change in depth, bending stresses (y) at the base (y = 0).

Fig. 9.

Cantilever deep beam with step change in depth, bending stresses (y) at y = 9.5.

tions, as well as the equivalent shear rigidity of the continuum [8] are given, respectively, by
Ex

d
d
E
E, Ey 0, G .
2
h
h c
2.4
d

where c c d is the effective span length of the spandrel beam. The adjustment
to the span length of the spandrel beam is to allow for the fact that the rigid-end
condition could not possibly occur immediately at the junction of the wall and beam.

Y.K. Cheung et al. / Thin-Walled Structures 32 (1998) 289303

301

Fig. 10. (a) Asymmetrical coupled shear wall of step change in thickness; (b) Geometric dimensions of
the openings and spandrel beams.

The equivalent properties of the continuum are therefore calculated as Ex 115 750,
Ey 0 and G 2251.9. In the analysis by the present method, the shear wall was
first discretized into 14 strips of equal widths. In addition, a very coarse mesh comprising only three strips (one for the equivalent continuum and two for the walls)
was tried. The number of terms used in the analysis ranges from 12 to 20. The
problem was also solved using 1512 QM6 incompatible finite elements [6]. Table
2 shows the convergence of the deflection at the top right corner of the shear wall
Table 2
Asymmetrical coupled shear wall with step change in thickness, deflection at top right corner
Scheme used in the present method
3 strips, 12 terms
3 strips, 14 terms
3 strips, 16 terms
3 strips, 18 terms
3 strips, 20 terms
14 strips, 12 terms
14 strips, 14 terms
14 strips, 16 terms
14 strips, 18 terms
14 strips, 20 terms
FEM [6]

Deflection at x = 7, y = 21
9.6485
9.6489
9.6492
9.6494
9.6495
9.6887
9.6909
9.6922
9.6928
9.6936
9.6974

103
103
103
103
103
103
103
103
103
103
103

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Y.K. Cheung et al. / Thin-Walled Structures 32 (1998) 289303

Fig. 11. Coupled shear wall with step change in thickness, horizontal deflections along the right edge
(x = 7).

as compared with the finite element results [6]. The horizontal deflection of the right
side of the wall is shown in Fig. 11. The vertical stresses at the horizontal cross
section at y 3.375 are plotted in Fig. 12. The vertical stresses along the centre
line of the rightmost strip (i.e. at x 6.75) are shown in Fig. 13. It is observed that
results from the present method agree very well with those obtained by the finite
element method [6] and the higher order finite elements [8]. The accuracy of the
deflections obtained from the very coarse mesh is also striking.

Fig. 12. Coupled shear wall with step change in thickness, bending stress (y) at horizontal section at
y = 3.375.

Y.K. Cheung et al. / Thin-Walled Structures 32 (1998) 289303

303

Fig. 13. Coupled shear wall with step change in thickness, bending stresses (y) along vertical line at
x = 6.75.

6. Conclusions
A new finite strip method has been developed for the analysis of deep beams and
shear walls. The use of piecewise linear augmenting functions in conjunction with
the basic harmonic functions results in displacement functions with the appropriate
order of continuity at the locations of abrupt changes of sectional properties. It therefore allows the use of continuous finite strips with step changes in thickness. The
present method can also cope with rectangular domains with re-entrant corners. A
few numerical examples have been given to demonstrate the versatility, efficiency
and accuracy of the method.

References
[1] Cheung YK. Finite strip method in structural analysis. Oxford: Pergamon Press, 1977.
[2] Fan SC. Spline finite strip in structural analysis. PhD thesis, The University of Hong Kong, Hong
Kong, 1982.
[3] Cheung YK, Kong J. An accurate finite strip for analyzing deep beams and shear walls. Commun
Numer Methods Engng 1995;11:64353.
[4] Au FTK, Zheng DY, Cheung YK. Vibration and stability of non-uniform beams with abrupt changes
of cross-section by using C1 modified beam vibration functions. Applied Mathematical Modeling,
in press.
[5] Liu JY, Zheng DY, Mei ZJ. Practical integral transforms in engineering. Huazhong University of
Science and Technology Press, 1995.
[6] Cosmos User Manual. Structural research and analysis cooperation. Santa Monica, CA 90404,
USA, 1991.
[7] Cheung YK, Swaddiwudhipong S. Analysis of frame shear wall structures using finite strip elements.
Proc Instn Civ Engrs 1978;65:51735.
[8] Chan HC, Cheung YK. Analysis of shear walls using higher order finite elements. Building Environ
1979;14:21724.