A novel interpolating element-free Galerkin (IEFG) method for two-dimensional elastoplasticity

Using the interpolating moving least-squares (IMLS) method to obtain the shape function, we present a novel interpolating element-free Galerkin (IEFG) method to solve two-dimensional elastoplasticity problems. The shape function of the IMLS method satisfies the property of Kronecker δ function, then in the meshless methods based on the IMLS method, the essential boundary conditions can applied directly. Based on the Galerkin weak form, we obtain the formulae of the IEFG method for solving two-dimensional elastoplasticity problems. The IEFG method has some advantages, such as simpler formulae and directly applying the essential boundary conditions, over the conventional element-free Galerkin (EFG) method. The results of three numerical examples show that the computational precision of the IEFG method is higher than that of the EFG method.     

An augmented Galerkin procedure for the boundary integral method applied to mixed boundary value problems

Here we present the asymptotic error analysis for the boundary element approximation of the direct boundary integral equations for the plane mixed boundary value problem of the Laplacian. The boundary elements are defined by B-splines for the smooth parts of the boundary charges and additional singular functions at the collision points. The asymptotic error estimates include estimates for the stress intensity factors which occur as additional unknowns to be computed within the Galerkin scheme. The numerical analysis is based on the uniqueness of the problem, a coerciveness inequality, the triangular principal part and an extended shift theorem of the boundary integral operators.     

Three-dimensional complex variable element-free Galerkin method

The complex variable element-free Galerkin (CVEFG) method is an efficient meshless Galerkin method that uses the complex variable moving least squares (CVMLS) approximation to form shape functions. In the past, applications of the CVMLS approximation and the CVEFG method are confined to 2D problems. This paper is devoted to 3D problems. Computational formulas and theoretical analysis of the CVMLS approximation on 3D domains are developed. The approximation of a 3D function is formed with 2D basis functions. Compared with the moving least squares approximation, the CVMLS approximation involves fewer coefficients and thus consumes less computing times. Formulations and error analysis of the CVEFG method to 3D elliptic problems and 3D wave equations are provided. Numerical examples are given to verify the convergence and accuracy of the method. Numerical results reveal that the CVEFG method has better accuracy and higher computational efficiency than other methods such as the element-free Galerkin method.     

On the energetic Galerkin boundary element method applied to interior wave propagation problems

We consider two-dimensional interior wave propagation problems with vanishing initial and mixed boundary conditions, reformulated as a system of two boundary integral equations with retarded potential. These latter are then set in a weak form, based on a natural energy identity satisfied by the solution of the differential problem, and discretized by the related energetic Galerkin boundary element method. Numerical results are presented and discussed.     

Numerical analysis of the meshless element-free Galerkin method for hyperbolic initial-boundary value problems

The meshless element-free Galerkin method is developed for numerical analysis of hyperbolic initial-boundary value problems. In this method, only scattered nodes are required in the domain. Computational formulae of the method are analyzed in detail. Error estimates and convergence are also derived theoretically and verified numerically. Numerical examples validate the performance and efficiency of the method.     

Error bounds for the Galerkin method applied to singular and nonsingular boundary value problems

Summary The purpose of this article is to obtainL ² and uniform norm error estimates for the Galerkin approximation of the solution of certain boundary value problems via a comparison with then-norm projection of the solution. In some cases, these estimates constitute an improvement over known results.This research was supported in part by AEC Grant (11-1)-2075.     

Large deformation analysis of a gel using the complex variable element-free Galerkin method

Deformation of a gel is a complicated multiphysical process involving the diffusion of solvent and the mechanical stretching of polymeric networks. This process leads to a mechanical and diffusional equilibrium after a certain period of evolution. Here we present a large deformation analysis of a gel in the equilibrium state under environmental triggers using the complex variable element-free Galerkin (CVEFG) method. The work mainly addresses the numerical challenges encountered while a gel in contact with a solvent deforms only with the geometric constraints but without any force boundary conditions (implying that the force column in the final standard algebraic equations equals zero) and emphasizes the implementation of a different CVEFG approach. The material model is based on the work of Hong et al. (2008) and incorporates our previous efforts in the numerical implementation. The discretized equation system is derived from the complex variable moving least squares approximation and the Galerkin method. The essential boundary conditions are imposed through the penalty method. The proposed approach is verified by the simulation of the swelling-induced large deformation and surface instability of a confined single gel layer.     

A Galerkin boundary node method and its convergence analysis

The boundary node method (BNM) exploits the dimensionality of the boundary integral equation (BIE) and the meshless attribute of the moving least-square (MLS) approximations. However, since MLS shape functions lack the property of a delta function, it is difficult to exactly satisfy boundary conditions in BNM. Besides, the system matrices of BNM are non-symmetric.     

A Burton-Miller boundary element-free method for Helmholtz problems

A Burton-Miller boundary element-free method is developed by using the Burton-Miller formulation for meshless and boundary-only analysis of Helmholtz problems. The method can produce a unique solution at all wavenumbers and is valid for Dirichlet, Neumann and mixed problems simultaneously. An efficient numerical integration procedure is presented to handle both strongly singular and hypersingular boundary integrals directly and uniformly. Numerical results reveal that this direct meshless method only involves boundary nodes and can deal with Helmholtz problems at extremely large wavenumbers.     

An improved boundary element Galerkin method for three-dimensional crack problems

In this paper we analyze the solution of crack problems in three-dimensional linear elasticity by equivalent integral equations of the first kind on the crack surface. Besides existence and uniqueness we give sharp regularity results for the solution of these pseudodifferential equations. Two versions of Eskin's Wiener-Hopf technique are presented: the first one requires the factorization of matrix-valued symbols which is avoided in the second case. Based on these regularity results we show how to improve the boundary element Galerkin method for our integral equations by using special singular trial functions. We apply the approximation property and inverse assumption of these elements together with duality arguments and derive quasi-optimal asymptotic error estimates in a scale of Sobolev spaces.Dedicated to Prof. Dr.-Ing. W. L. Wendland on the occasion of his 50th birthday.A part of this work was done while the first author was a guest at the Georgia Institute of Technology and while the second author was partially supported by the NSF grant DMS-8501797.     

Approximate Galerkin method applied to an analysis of vibration of continuous mechanical systems

Paper presents fundamental assumptions of the approximate Galerkin method application in order to vibration analysis of continuous mechanical systems with different form of vibration and different boundary conditions. Flexural vibration of beams, longitudinal vibration of rods and torsional vibration of shafts with all possible ways of fixing were considered. Analyzed mechanical systems were treated as subsystems of mechatronic systems with piezoelectric transducers. This work was done as an introduction to the analysis of mechatronic systems with piezoelectric transducers used as actuators or passive vibration dampers [1–3]. It is impossible to use an exact Fourier method in this case. This is the reason why the approximate Galerkin method was chosen and analysis of its exactness was done as a first step of this work. Dynamic flexibilities of considered mechanical systems were calculated twice, using exact and approximate methods. Obtained results were juxtaposed and it was proved that in some cases the approximate method should be corrected while in the other it is precise enough. A correction method was proposed and it was assumed that the approximate method can be used in mechatronic systems analysis. (© 2012 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

A modified scaled boundary finite element method for dynamic response of a discontinuous layered half-space

In this paper, a modified scaled boundary finite element method is proposed to deal with the dynamic analysis of a discontinuous layered half-space. In order to describe the geometry of discontinuous layered half-space exactly, splicing lines, rather than a point, are chosen as the scaling center. Based on the modified scaled boundary transformation of the geometry, the Galerkin's weighted residual technique is applied to obtain the corresponding scaled boundary finite element equations in displacement. Then a modified version of dimensionless frequency is defined, and the governing first-order partial differential equations in dynamic stiffness with respect to the excitation frequency are obtained. The global stiffness is obtained by adding the dynamic stiffness of the interior domain calculated by a standard finite element method, and the dynamic stiffness of far field is calculated by the proposed method. The comparison of two existing solutions for a horizontal layered half-space confirms the accuracy and efficiency of the proposed approach. Finally, the dynamic response of a discontinuous layered half-space due to vertical uniform strip loadings is investigated.     

Error estimates for the Galerkin method as applied to time-dependent equations

A projection method is studied as applied to the Cauchy problem for an operator-differential equation with a non-self-adjoint operator. The operator is assumed to be sufficiently smooth. The linear spans of eigenelements of a self-adjoint operator are used as projection subspaces. New asymptotic estimates for the convergence rate of approximate solutions and their derivatives are obtained. The method is applied to initial-boundary value problems for parabolic equations.     

Extension of the scaled boundary finite element method to plate bending problems

The scaled boundary finite element method (SBFEM) is extended to the static analysis of thin plates in the framework of Kirchhoff's plate theory. The governing equations are transformed into scaled boundary coordinates. Applying a discrete form of the Kantorovich reduction method results in a set of ordinary differential equations, which can be solved in a closed-form analytical manner. The element stiffness matrices for bounded and unbounded media can be computed, using appropriate subsets of the analytical solution. Examples show the efficiency of the method, applied to plate bending problems. (© 2011 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Analysis of the complex moving least squares approximation and the associated element-free Galerkin method

The complex moving least squares approximation is an efficient method to construct approximation functions in meshless methods. This paper begins by analyzing properties, stability and error of the approximation. To overcome the inherent instability, a stabilized approximation is also developed and analyzed. The complex element-free Galerkin method is a meshless method combined with the use of the complex moving least squares approximation. Application of the complex element-free Galerkin method to linear and nonlinear time-dependent problems is then given. Error estimates of the complex element-free Galerkin method are derived theoretically. Numerical examples involving function fitting and solitons are finally provided to show the accuracy and efficiency of the proposed methods.     

Extension of the scaled boundary finite element method to geometrical and physical nonlinearity

The scaled boundary finite element method (SBFEM) has been used in many fields of engineering to solve the governing equations in bounded and unbounded 2D as well as 3D domains. In solid mechanics, the semi-analytical solution strategy of the SBFE formulation (numerical in circumferential direction, analytical in radial direction) is based on the assumption of linear elastic material behavior and only small geometrical changes. However, a large group of materials (e.g. rubber) shows geometrical and physical nonlinearity at mechanical loading. In this contribution, the extension of the SBFEM to geometrical and physical nonlinearity is examined. A plane finite element is developed which uses the concept of shape functions constructed by the SBFEM in the framework of a nonlinear finite element analysis. (© 2014 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Time-domain soil-structure interaction analysis using the scaled boundary finite element method and rational stiffness approximations

The SBFEM is used to calculate dynamic stiffness matrices of unbounded media. Time–domain respresentations of the associated force–displacement relationship are obtained approximating the latter by rational functions. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

The Galerkin boundary element method for transient Stokes flow

Since the fundamental solution for transient Stokes flow in three dimensions is complicated it is difficult to implement discretization methods for boundary integral formulations. We derive a representation of the Stokeslet and stresslet in terms of incomplete gamma functions and investigate the nature of the singularity of the single- and double layer potentials. Further, we give analytical formulas for the time integration and develop Galerkin schemes with tensor product piecewise polynomial ansatz functions. Numerical results demonstrate optimal convergence rates.