Kriging-Based Timoshenko Beam Elements with the Discrete Shear Gap Technique

Kriging-based finite element method (K-FEM) is an enhancement of the FEM through the use of Kriging interpolation in place of the conventional polynomial interpolation. In this paper, the K-FEM is developed for static, free vibration, and buckling analyses of Timoshenko beams. The discrete shear gap technique is employed to eliminate shear locking. The numerical tests show that a Kriging-Based beam element with cubic basis and three element-layer domain of influencing nodes is free from shear locking. Exceptionally accurate displacements, bending moments, natural frequencies, and buckling loads and reasonably accurate shear force can be achieved using a relatively course mesh.