Abstract: In this paper, an efficient and accurate step-by-step time integration algorithm with unconditional stability for dynamic analysis is presented. For a dynamic system under impulsive loadings with load discontinuities, a very small time step is usually required to provide acceptable levels of accuracy in performing time history analysis. To improve this drawback in time integration, the principle of momentum is available to integrate an impulsive loading with respect to time so that the load discontinuity in a time interval can be smoothed out through another expression of external momentum. Besides, time finite element methods feature a larger time step to represent a continuous response over a time step as two nodal responses of the time step. Combining both computational advantages described above, this study presents an improved time integration scheme with the properties of larger time step size and accuracy. From theoretical analysis of stability and accuracy, the proposed algorithm possesses the efficient features of unconditional stability, accuracy, and fast convergence in numerical computation. For simplicity of demonstration, a closed form solution of an excited single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) system is employed to verify the feasibility and reliability of the new time integration algorithm, with which the numerical results obtained from the Newmark method are compared.

Brief Biography of the Speaker:
Studies:
Ph.D. in Civil Engineering, National Taiwan University
Academic Positions:
Associate professor of Tamkang University in Taiwan
Scientific Activities:
1. Vibrations of high speed rails
2. Geometrical nonlinear analysis of framed structres
3. Structural stability of tapered beams

Dr. Yau is currently an associate professor at Tamkang University in Taiwan. He received his M.S. degree and Ph.D. in civil engineering from National Taiwan University in 1986 and 1996, respectively. His main area of research is on the dynamics of vehicle-bridge interaction with emphasis on high speed railway system, including train-induced resonance phenomenon of bridge response, assessment of running safety and ride quality of traveling vehicles, and influence of ground settlement on a train running over a series of bridge units. He has published over 50 journal papers and articles, and is also the second author of the book: Vehicle-Bridge Interaction Dynamics. His recent research interests focus on vibration control of a running maglev-train and nonlinear dynamics of vehicles traveling over a suspension bridge.