Comparison of Implicit Time Integration Schemes for Nonlinear Dynamic Problems

Implicit time integration schemes are used to obtain stable and accurate transient solutions of nonlinear problems. Methods that are unconditionally stable in linear analysis are sometimes observed to have convergence problems as in the case of solutions obtained with a trapezoidal method. On the other hand, a composite time integration method employing a trapezoidal rule and a three-point backward rule sequentially in two half steps can be used to obtain accurate results and enhance the stability of the system by means of a numerical damping introduced in the formulation. To have a better understanding of the differences in the numerical implementation of the algorithms of these two methods, a mathematical analysis of dynamic equilibrium equations is performed. Several practical problems are studied to compare the implicit methods.