On kinematic coupling equations within the scaled boundary finite-element method

The scaled boundary finite element method is a semi-analytical analysis technique, which combines the advantages of the finite element method and the boundary-element method. Assuming that the geometry of the governing structure can be represented by mapping its boundary with respect to the so-called scaling coordinate, the problem can be handled in a closed-form analytical manner in the scaling direction and by a finite-element approximation in the other directions. Thus, a discretization of the boundary is sufficient and the nodal degrees of freedom are functions of the scaling coordinate. In some situations, such as the analysis of the free-edge effect in laminated plates, it is useful to introduce kinematic coupling equations, which are valid not only on the boundary, but also within the domain. The implementation of linear kinematic coupling equations within the method is presented for the case of a three-dimensional structure with scaling in a fixed Cartesian direction. Rigid-body modes are handled by using the concept of generalized inverse matrices. In some benchmark examples the efficiency of the approach is demonstrated and comparison with the results of the finite-element method shows good accordance.