Meshless solutions of 2D contact problems by subdomain variational inequality and MLPG method with radial basis functions

A subdomain variational inequality and its meshless linear complementary formulation are developed in the present paper for solving two-dimensional contact problems. The subdomain variational inequality will be defined in detail. The meshless method is based on a local weighted residual method with the Heaviside step function as the weighting function over a local subdomain and radial basis functions as trial functions for interpolation. Three different radial basis functions (RBFs), i.e. Multiquadrics (MQ), Gaussian (EXP) and Thin Plate Splines (TPS) are examined and the selection of their shape parameters is studied based on 2D solid stress problems with closed-form solutions. The developed meshless/linear complementary method is applied to solve two frictionless contact problems. For the RBFs, it has been found that the TPS shape parameter is not sensitive to nodal distance and a value of 4 is found as a good choice for TPS from this research.     

Inverse heat conduction problems in three-dimensional anisotropic functionally graded solids

A meshless method based on the local Petrov–Galerkin approach is applied to inverse transient heat conduction problems in three-dimensional solids with continuously inhomogeneous and anisotropic material properties. The Heaviside step function is used as a test function in the local weak form, leading to the derivation of local integral equations. Nodal points are randomly distributed in the domain analyzed, and each node is surrounded by a spherical subdomain in which a local integral equation is applied. A meshless approximation based on the moving least-squares method is employed in the implementation. After performing spatial integrations, we obtain a system of ordinary differential equations for certain nodal unknowns. A backward finite-difference method is used for the approximation of the diffusive term in the heat conduction equation. A truncated singular-value decomposition is used to solve the ill-conditioned linear system of algebraic equations at each time step. The effectiveness of the meshless local Petrov–Galerkin (MLPG) method for this inverse problem is demonstrated by numerical examples.     

Local multiquadric approximation for solving boundary value problems

 This paper presents a truly meshless approximation strategy for solving partial differential equations based on the local multiquadric (LMQ) and the local inverse multiquadric (LIMQ) approximations. It is different from the traditional global multiquadric (GMQ) approximation in such a way that it is a pure local procedure. In constructing the approximation function, the only geometrical data needed is the local configuration of nodes fallen within its influence domain. Besides this distinct characteristic of localization, in the context of meshless-typed approximation strategies, other major advantages of the present strategy include: (i) the existence of the shape functions is guaranteed provided that all the nodal points within an influence domain are distinct; (ii) the constructed shape functions strictly satisfy the Kronecker delta condition; (iii) the approximation is stable and insensitive to the free parameter embedded in the formulation and; (iv) the computational cost is modest and the matrix operations require only inversion of matrices of small size which is equal to the number of nodes inside the influence domain. Based on the present LMQ and LIMQ approximations, a collocation procedure is developed for solutions of 1D and 2D boundary value problems. Numerical results indicate that the present LMQ and LIMQ approximations are more stable than their global counterparts. In addition, it demonstrates that both approximation strategies are highly efficient and able to yield accurate solutions regardless of the chosen value for the free parameter. Received: 10 October 2002 / Accepted: 15 January 2003     

A novel meshless approach – Local Kriging (LoKriging) method with two-dimensional structural analysis

This paper develops a novel meshless approach, called Local Kriging (LoKriging) method, which is based on the local weak form of the partial differential governing equations and employs the Kriging interpolation to construct the meshless shape functions. Since the shape functions constructed by this interpolation have the delta function property based on the randomly distributed points, the essential boundary conditions can be implemented easily. The local weak form of the partial differential governing equations is obtained by the weighted residual method within the simple local quadrature domain. The spline function with high continuity is used as the weight function. The presently developed LoKriging method is a truly meshless method, as it does not require the mesh, either for the construction of the shape functions, or for the integration of the local weak form. Several numerical examples of two-dimensional static structural analysis are presented to illustrate the performance of the present LoKriging method. They show that the LoKriging method is highly efficient for the implementation and highly accurate for the computation.     

The natural neighbour Petrov–Galerkin method for elasto‐statics

In this paper, an efficient and accurate meshless natural neighbour Petrov–Galerkin method (NNPG) is proposed to solve elasto‐static problems in two‐dimensional space. This method is derived from the generalized meshless local Petrov–Galerkin method (MLPG) as a special case. In the NNPG, the local supported trial functions are constructed based on the non‐Sibsonian interpolation and test functions are taken as the three‐node triangular FEM shape functions. The local weak forms of the equilibrium equation and the boundary conditions are satisfied in local polygonal sub‐domains. These sub‐domains are constructed with Delaunay tessellations and domain integrals are evaluated over included Delaunay triangles by using Gaussian quadrature scheme. As this method combines the advantages of natural neighbour interpolation with Petrov–Galerkin method together, no stiffness matrix assembly is required and no special treatment is needed to impose the essential boundary conditions. Several numerical examples are presented and the results show the presented method is easy to implement and very accurate for these problems. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Analysis of orthotropic thick plates by meshless local Petrov–Galerkin (MLPG) method

A meshless local Petrov–Galerkin (MLPG) method is applied to solve static and dynamic problems of orthotropic plates described by the Reissner–Mindlin theory. Analysis of a thick orthotropic plate resting on the Winkler elastic foundation is given too. A weak formulation for the set of governing equations in the Reissner–Mindlin theory with a unit test function is transformed into local integral equations on local subdomains in the mean surface of the plate. Nodal points are randomly spread on the surface of the plate and each node is surrounded by a circular subdomain to which local integral equations are applied. The meshless approximation based on the Moving Least–Squares (MLS) method is employed in the numerical implementation. The present computational method is applicable also to plates with varying thickness. Numerical results for simply supported and clamped plates are presented. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A meshless local natural neighbour interpolation method for analysis of two-dimensional piezoelectric structures

A novel meshless method applied to solve two-dimensional piezoelectric structures is presented and discussed in this paper. It is called meshless local natural neighbour interpolation (MLNNI) method, which is derived from the generalized meshless local Petrov–Galerkin (MLPG) method as a special case. In the present method, nodal points are spread on the analysed domain and each node is surrounded by a polygonal sub-domain, which can be conveniently constructed with Delaunay tessellations. The spatial variation of the displacements and the electric potential are interpolated by the natural neighbour interpolation. As the shape functions so constructed possess the delta function property, the essential boundary conditions can be imposed by directly substituting the corresponding terms in the system of equations. Furthermore, the usage of three-node triangular FEM shape functions as test functions reduces the order of integrands involved in domain integrals. Numerical examples are presented at the end to demonstrate the applicability and accuracy of the present approach in analysing two-dimensional piezoelectric structures.     

A local boundary integral-based meshless method for Biot's consolidation problem

Traditional numerical techniques such as FEM and BEM have been successfully applied to the solutions of Biot's consolidation problems. However, these techniques confront some difficulties in dealing with moving boundaries. In addition, pre-designing node connectivity or element is not an easy task. Recently, developed meshless methods may overcome these difficulties. In this paper, a meshless model, based on the local Petrov–Galerkin approach with Heaviside step function as well as radial basis functions, is developed and implemented for the numerical solution of plane strain poroelastic problems. Although the proposed method is based on local boundary integral equation, it does not require any fundamental solution, thus avoiding the singularity integral. It also has no domain integral over local domain, thus largely reducing the computational cost in formulation of system stiffness. This is a truly meshless method. The solution accuracy and the code performance are evaluated through one-dimensional and two-dimensional consolidation problems. Numerical examples indicate that this meshless method is suitable for either regular or irregular node distributions with little loss of accuracy, thus being a promising numerical technique for poroelastic problems.     

Local integral equation method for viscoelastic Reissner–Mindlin plates

A meshless local Petrov-Galerkin (MLPG) method is applied to solve static and dynamic bending problems of linear viscoelastic plates described by the Reissner–Mindlin theory. To this end, the correspondence principle is applied. A weak formulation for the set of governing equations in the Reissner–Mindlin theory with a unit test function is transformed into local integral equations on local subdomains in the mean surface of the plate. Nodal points are randomly spread on the mean surface of the plate and each node is surrounded by a circular subdomain to which local integral equations are applied. A meshless approximation based on the moving least-squares (MLS) method is employed in the numerical implementation.     

Enriching the finite element method with meshfree particles in structural mechanics

The automatic generation of meshes for the finite element (FE) method can be an expensive computational burden, especially in structural problems with localized stress peaks. The use of meshless methods can address such an issue, as these techniques do not require the existence of an underlying connection among the particles selected in a general domain. This study advances a numerical strategy that blends the FE method with the meshless local Petrov–Galerkin technique in structural mechanics, with the aim at exploiting the most attractive features of each procedure. The idea relies on the use of FEs to compute a background solution that is locally improved by enriching the approximation space with the basis functions associated to a few meshless points, thus taking advantage of the flexibility ensured by the use of particles disconnected from an underlying grid. Adding the meshless particles only where needed avoids the cost of mesh refining, or even of remeshing, without the prohibitive computational cost of a thoroughly meshfree approach. In the present implementation, an efficient integration strategy for the computation of the coefficients taking into account the mutual FE–meshless local Petrov–Galerkin interactions is introduced. Moreover, essential boundary conditions are enforced separately on both FEs and meshless particles, thus allowing for an overall accuracy improvement also when the enriched region is close to the domain boundary. Numerical examples in structural problems show that the proposed approach can significantly improve the solution accuracy at a local level, with no remeshing effort, and at a low computational cost. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Finite volume meshless local Petrov–Galerkin method in elastodynamic problems

A finite volume meshless local Petrov–Galerkin (FVMLPG) method is presented for elastodynamic problems. It is derived from the local weak form of the equilibrium equations by using the finite volume (FV) and the meshless local Petrov–Galerkin (MLPG) concepts. By incorporating the moving least squares (MLS) approximations for trial functions, the local weak form is discretized, and is integrated over the local subdomain for the transient structural analysis. The present numerical technique imposes a correction to the accelerations, to enforce the kinematic boundary conditions in the MLS approximation, while using an explicit time-integration algorithm. Numerical examples for solving the transient response of the elastic structures are included. The results demonstrate the efficiency and accuracy of the present method for solving the elastodynamic problems.     

A PU-based meshless Shepard interpolation method satisfying delta property

A novel meshless Shepard interpolation method (MSIM) based on the partition of unity (PU) approach is proposed to solve the elasticity problems. In the proposed MSIM interpolation, the Shepard shape functions are used for the partition of unity and the local cover functions are separately constructed for the nodes on the boundary and inside the domain. Three distinguished features of MSIM are: the interpolation property, the arbitrarily high order consistency, and the low computational expense of the shape functions. These properties are desirable in the realization and implementation of the meshless methods. Numerical examples demonstrate the effectiveness and robustness of the present method.     

A point interpolation meshless method based on radial basis functions

A point interpolation meshless method is proposed based on combining radial and polynomial basis functions. Involvement of radial basis functions overcomes possible singularity associated with the meshless methods based on only the polynomial basis. This non‐singularity is useful in constructing well‐performed shape functions. Furthermore, the interpolation function obtained passes through all scattered points in an influence domain and thus shape functions are of delta function property. This makes the implementation of essential boundary conditions much easier than the meshless methods based on the moving least‐squares approximation. In addition, the partial derivatives of shape functions are easily obtained, thus improving computational efficiency. Examples on curve/surface fittings and solid mechanics problems show that the accuracy and convergence rate of the present method is high. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Isoparametric finite point method in computational mechanics

In this paper, a new meshless method, the isoparametric finite point method (IFPM) in computational mechanics is presented. The present IFPM is a truly meshless method and developed based on the concepts of meshless discretization and local isoparametric interpolation. In IFPM, the unknown functions, their derivatives, and the sub-domain and its boundaries of an arbitrary point are described by the same shape functions. Two kinds of shape functions that satisfy the Kronecker-Delta property are developed for the scattered points in the domain and on the boundaries, respectively. Conventional point collocation method is employed for the discretization of the governing equation and the boundary conditions. The essential (Dirichlet) and natural (Neumann) boundary conditions can be directly enforced at the boundary points. Several numerical examples are presented together with the results obtained by the exact solution and the finite element method. The numerical results show that the present IFPM is a simple and efficient method in computational mechanics.     

Comparison of local weak and strong form meshless methods for 2-D diffusion equation

A comparison between weak form meshless local Petrov-Galerkin method (MLPG) and strong form meshless diffuse approximate method (DAM) is performed for the diffusion equation in two dimensions. The shape functions are in both methods obtained by moving least squares (MLS) approximation with the polynomial weight function of the fourth order on the local support domain with 13 closest nodes. The weak form test functions are similar to the MLS weight functions but defined over the square quadrature domain. Implicit timestepping is used. The methods are tested in terms of average and maximum error norms on uniform and non-uniform node arrangements on a square without and with a hole for a Dirichlet jump problem and involvement of Dirichlet and Neumann boundary conditions. The results are compared also to the results of the finite difference and finite element method. It has been found that both meshless methods provide a similar accuracy and the same convergence rate. The advantage of DAM is in simpler numerical implementation and lower computational cost.     

An improved meshless Shepard and least squares method possessing the delta property and requiring no singular weight function

The meshless Shepard and least squares (MSLS) method and the meshless Shepard method are partition of unity based meshless interpolations which eliminate the problems by other meshless methods such as the difficulty in direct imposition of the essential boundary conditions. However, singular weight functions have to be used in both methods to enforce the approximation interpolatory, which leads to the loss of smoothness in approximation and locally oscillatory results. In this paper, an improved MSLS interpolation is developed by using dually defined nodal supports such that no singular weight function is required. The proposed interpolation satisfies the delta property at boundary nodes and the compatibility condition throughout the domain, and is capable of exactly reproducing the basis function. The computational cost of the present interpolation is much lower than the moving least-squares approximation which is probably the most widely used meshless interpolation at present.     

A meshless local Petrov–Galerkin method for large deformation contact analysis of elastomers

A meshless method based on the local Petrov–Galerkin formulation is applied to the large deformation contact analysis of elastomeric components. Trial functions are constructed using the radial-basis function (RBF) coupled with a polynomial-basis function. The plane stress hypothesis and a pressure projection method are employed to overcome the incompressibility or nearly incompressibility in the plane stress and plane strain problems, respectively. Two different sets of equations are used for the nodes on the contact surface and nodes not on the contact surface, respectively, which is based on the meshless local Petrov–Galerkin method (MLPG) establishing equations node by node. Numerical results for several examples show that the present method is effective in dealing with large deformation contact problems.     

Elastodynamic problems by meshless local integral method: Analytical formulation

In this paper, analytical forms of integrals in the meshless local integral equation method in the Laplace space are derived and implemented for elastodynamic problems. The meshless approximation based on the radial basis function (RBF) is employed for implementation of displacements. A weak form of governing equations with a unit test function is transformed into local integral equations. A completed set of the local boundary integrals are obtained in closed form. As the closed form of the local boundary integrals are obtained, there are no domain or boundary integrals to be calculated numerically. Several examples including dynamic fracture mechanics problems are presented to demonstrate the accuracy of the proposed method in comparison with analytical solutions and the boundary element method.     

A Trefftz function approximation in local boundary integral equations

 In the present paper the Trefftz function as a test function is used to derive the local boundary integral equations (LBIE) for linear elasticity. Since Trefftz functions are regular, much less requirements are put on numerical integration than in the conventional boundary integral method. The moving least square (MLS) approximation is applied to the displacement field. Then, the traction vectors on the local boundaries are obtained from the gradients of the approximated displacements by using Hooke's law. Nodal points are randomly spread on the domain of the analysed body. The present method is a truly meshless method, as it does not need a finite element mesh, either for purposes of interpolation of the solution variables, or for the integration of the energy. Two ways are presented to formulate the solution of boundary value problems. In the first one the local boundary integral equations are written in all nodes (interior and boundary nodes). In the second way the LBIE are written only at the interior nodes and at the nodes on the global boundary the prescribed values of displacements and/or tractions are identified with their MLS approximations. Numerical examples for a square patch test and a cantilever beam are presented to illustrate the implementation and performance of the present method. Received 6 November 2000     

Heat Conduction Analysis of 3-D Axisymmetric and Anisotropic FGM Bodies by Meshless Local Petrov–Galerkin Method

The meshless local Petrov–Galerkin method is used to analyze transient heat conduction in 3-D axisymmetric solids with continuously inhomogeneous and anisotropic material properties. A 3-D axisymmetric body is created by rotation of a cross section around an axis of symmetry. Axial symmetry of geometry and boundary conditions reduces the original 3-D boundary value problem into a 2-D problem. The cross section is covered by small circular subdomains surrounding nodes randomly spread over the analyzed domain. A unit step function is chosen as test function, in order to derive local integral equations on the boundaries of the chosen subdomains, called local boundary integral equations. These integral formulations are either based on the Laplace transform technique or the time difference approach. The local integral equations are nonsingular and take a very simple form, despite of inhomogeneous and anisotropic material behavior across the analyzed structure. Spatial variation of the temperature and heat flux (or of their Laplace transforms) at discrete time instants are approximated on the local boundary and in the interior of the subdomain by means of the moving least-squares method. The Stehfest algorithm is applied for the numerical Laplace inversion, in order to retrieve the time-dependent solutions.