Efficient Low Order Virtual Elements for Anisotropic Materials at Finite Strains

Virtual elements were introduced in the last decade and applied to problems in solid mechanics. The success of this methodology when applied to linear problems asks for an extension to the nonlinear regime. This work is concerned with the numerical simulation of structures made of anisotropic material undergoing large deformations. Especially problems with hyperelastic matrix materials and transversly isotropic behaviour will be investigated. The virtual element formulation is based on a low-order formulations for problems in two dimensions. The elements can be arbitrary polygons. The formulation considered relies on minimization of energy, with a novel construction of the stabilization energy and a mixed approximation for the fibers describing the anisotropic behaviour. The formulation is investigated through a several numerical examples, which demonstrate their efficiency, robustness, convergence properties, and locking-free behaviour.

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