An immersed finite element method with integral equation correction

We propose a robust immersed finite element method in which an integral equation formulation is used to enforce essential boundary conditions. The solution of a boundary value problem is expressed as the superposition of a finite element solution and an integral equation solution. For computing the finite element solution, the physical domain is embedded into a slightly larger Cartesian (box‐shaped) domain and is discretized using a block‐structured mesh. The defect in the essential boundary conditions, which occurs along the physical domain boundaries, is subsequently corrected with an integral equation method. In order to facilitate the mapping between the finite element and integral equation solutions, the physical domain boundary is represented with a signed distance function on the block‐structured mesh. As a result, only a boundary mesh of the physical domain is necessary and no domain mesh needs to be generated, except for the non‐boundary‐conforming block‐structured mesh. The overall approach is first presented for the Poisson equation and then generalized to incompressible viscous flow equations. As an example of fluid–structure coupling, the settling of a heavy rigid particle in a closed tank is considered. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The boundary element method applied to the analysis of two-dimensional nonlinear sloshing problems

This paper deals with an application of the boundary element method to the analysis of nonlinear sloshing problems, namely nonlinear oscillations of a liquid in a container subjected to forced oscillations. First, the problem is formulated mathematically as a nonlinear initial-boundary value problem by the use of a governing differential equation and boundary conditions, assuming the fluid to be inviscid and incompressible and the flow to be irrotational. Next, the governing equation (Laplace equation) and boundary conditions, except the dynamic boundary condition on the free surface, are transformed into an integral equation by employing the Galerkin method. Two dynamic boundary condition is reduced to a weighted residual equation by employing the Galerkin method. Two equations thus obtained are discretized by the use of the finite element method spacewise and the finite difference method timewise. Collocation method is employed for the discretization of the integral equation. Due to the nonlinearity of the problem, the incremental method is used for the numerical analysis. Numerical results obtained by the present boundary element method are compared with those obtained by the conventional finite element method and also with existing analytical solutions of the nonlinear theory. Good agreements are obtained, and this indicates the availability of the boundary element method as a numerical technique for nonlinear free surface fluid problems.     

Simply supported plates by the boundary integral equation method

Plates governed by Kirchhoff's equation have been analysed by the boundary integral equation method using the fundamental solution of the biharmonic equation. In the case of supported plates, the boundary conditions permit the uncoupling of the field equation into two harmonic equations that originate, due to the nature of the fundamental solution, easier integration kernels and a simpler system of equations. The calculation of bending and twisting moments and transverse shear force can be formed, combining derivatives of the integral equation which defines the expression of the deflection on any point of the plate. The uncoupling of the biharmonic equation into two Poisson's equations involves the discretization of the domain of the studied problems. Nevertheless, the unknown quantity of the problem does not appear in the domain integrations for which a refined discretization is unnecessary. In the paper, however, a numerical alternative is considered to express the domain integral by means of boundary integrals. In this way, we need only discretize the boundary of the plate, making it necessary to solve a supplementary system of equations in order to calculate the coefficients of the approximation carried out.     

Construction of the exact solution of the ring-plate problem by solving functional equations

This paper presents a method of constructing the exact solution of the ring-plate problem. The method is based on the general solution formula (nonseries form) of the biharmonic equation. The method changes solving the boundary-value problems of the ring plate into solving three functional equations and computing the coefficients of a simple Fourier series, or only solving four functional equations. The method is believed to be new. The simpler formulas of the solutions of all cases of the ring-plate boundary-value problems without any free boundary are obtained. Several examples are given.     

The BEM for plates of variable thickness on nonlinear biparametric elastic foundation. An analog equation solution

The BEM is developed for the analysis of plates with variable thickness resting on a nonlinear biparametric elastic foundation. The presented solution is achieved using the Analog Equation Method (AEM). According to the AEM the fourth-order partial differential equation with variable coefficients describing the response of the plate is converted to an equivalent linear problem for a plate with constant stiffness not resting on foundation and subjected only to an `appropriate' fictitious load under the same boundary conditions. The fictitious load is established using a technique based on the BEM and the solution of the actual problem is obtained from the known integral representation of the solution of the substitute problem, which is derived using the static fundamental solution of the biharmonic equation. The method is boundary-only in the sense that the discretization and the integration are performed only on the boundary. To illustrate the method and its efficiency, plates of various shapes are analyzed with linear and quadratic plate thickness variation laws resting on a nonlinear biparametric elastic foundation.     

Direct evaluation of singular boundary integrals in two-dimensional biharmonic analysis

Development of techniques to provide rapid and accurate evaluation of the integrations required in boundary element method (BEM) formulations are receiving more attention in the literature. In this work, a series of direct expressions for surface integrals, required for a boundary element solution of the non-homogeneous biharmonic over a general two-dimensional curvilinear surface, are presented. The concept of an isoparametric representation, usually applied to the variation of the field variables and the geometry, is extended to the parametric mapping of the curvilinear geometry. The result renders the typically complicated Jacobian function into a series of polynomial expressions based on the shape function set and several discrete Jacobian values. An application of the isoparametric approximation of the Jacobian for a quadratic element representation is developed. Implementation of this approximation significantly improves the accuracy of the boundary integral solution by eliminating error associated with numerical quadrature. Overall computational efficiency is improved by reducing the time necessary to calculate individual surface integrals and evaluate field variables at internal points. A numerical solution of the boundary integral equations of phenomena governed by the biharmonic equation is presented and compared with an exact analysis.     

Non-axial-symmetric thermal stresses in circular discs or cylinders

A solution is presented for the computation of the transient thermoelastic stresses in a hollow cylinder with temperature boundary conditions given as a circumferential variation of surface heat transfer coefficient. The temperature distribution is solved explicitly. The problem is set up using the Airy stress function which leads to the biharmonic equation. This approach requires the satisfaction of three Michell integrals at the inner boundary in order to ensure single-valued displacements and rotation. An iterative method is described in which these integrals are all simultaneously satisfied and thus provide the necessary non-zero boundary conditions for the solution of the biharmonic equation which is rapidly solved by Gaussian elimination. Results are presented for the general case where the temperature is a function of r and θ. The computer program is checked by assuming a constant value of the surface heat transfer coefficients. In this case a closed form solution is obtained.     

Green's functions for Kirchhoff plates of irregular shape

A method is proposed for the construction of Green's functions for the Sophie Germain equation in regions of irregular shape with mixed boundary conditions imposed. The method is based on the boundary integral equation approach where a kernel vector function B satisfies the biharmonic equation inside the region. This leads to a regular boundary integral equation where the compensating loads and moments are applied to the boundary. Green's function is consequently expressed in terms of the kernel vector function B, the fundamental solution function of the biharmonic equation, and kernel functions of the inverse regular integral operators. To compute moments and forces, the kernel functions are differentiated under the integral sign. The proposed method appears highly effective in computing both displacements and stress components.     

A boundary integral approach to analyze the viscous scattering of a pressure wave by a rigid body

The paper provides boundary integral equations for solving the problem of viscous scattering of a pressure wave by a rigid body. By using this mathematical tool uniqueness and existence theorems are proved. Since the boundary conditions are written in terms of velocities, vector boundary integral equations are obtained for solving the problem. The paper introduces single-layer viscous potentials and also a stress tensor. Correspondingly, a viscous double-layer potential is defined. The properties of all these potentials are investigated.By representing the scattered field as a combination of a single-layer viscous potential and a double-layer viscous potential the problem is reduced to the solution of a singular vectorial integral equation of Fredholm type of the second kind.In the case where the stress vector on the boundary is the main quantity of interest the corresponding boundary singular integral equation is proved to have a unique solution.     

Quasi-static analysis of viscoplastic plates by the boundary element method

A direct boundary element method (BEM) is developed for the determination of the time-dependent inelastic deflection of plates of arbitrary planform and under arbitrary boundary conditions to general lateral loading history. The governing differential equation is the nonhomogeneous biharmonic equation for the rate of small transverse deflection. The boundary integral formulation is derived by using a combination of the BEM and finite element methodology. The plate material is modelled as elastic-viscoplastic. Numerical examples for sample problems are presented to illustrate the method and to demonstrate its merits.     

A generalized Ritz method for partial differential equations in domains of arbitrary geometry using global shape functions

A boundary element method (BEM)-based variational method is presented for the solution of elliptic PDEs describing the mechanical response of general inhomogeneous anisotropic bodies of arbitrary geometry. The equations, which in general have variable coefficients, may be linear or nonlinear. Using the concept of the analog equation of Katsikadelis the original equation is converted into a linear membrane (Poisson) or a linear plate (biharmonic) equation, depending on the order of the PDE under a fictitious load, which is approximated with radial basis function series of multiquadric (MQ) type. The integral representation of the solution of the substitute equation yields shape functions, which are global and satisfy both essential and natural boundary conditions, hence the name generalized Ritz method. The minimization of the functional that produces the PDE as the associated Euler–Lagrange equation yields not only the Ritz coefficients but also permits the evaluation of optimal values for the shape parameters of the MQs as well as optimal position of their centers, minimizing thus the error. If a functional does not exists or cannot be constructed as it is the usual case of nonlinear PDEs, the Galerkin principle can be applied. Since the arising domain integrals are converted into boundary line integrals, the method is boundary-only and, therefore, it maintains all the advantages of the pure BEM. Example problems are studied, which illustrate the method and demonstrate its efficiency and great accuracy.     

Dynamics of charged and conducting drops via the hybrid finite-boundary element method

A numerical study on the dynamic behaviour of a charged and conducting drop, with net electrical charge , is presented here, that is valid for arbitrary initial disturbances. It employs the integral form of Laplace's equation for the calculation of the velocity and electrostatic potentials, which only requires discretization and solution on the surface of the drop. Thus a hybrid method results with the integral equations solved via the boundary element technique, while the Galerkin finite element formulation is used for the kinematic and dynamic condition at the interface as well as for the net charge conservation equation. Recently, the authors followed this approach in their study on the free nonlinear oscillations of inviscid drops, and they were able to optimize time and space discretization as well as the treatment of the integral equation with excellent results.     

Electromagnetic scattering from cylindrical objects above a conductive surface using a hybrid finite-element-surface integral equation method

This work presents a novel finite-element solution to the problem of scattering from a finite and an infinite array of cylindrical objects with arbitrary shapes and materials over perfectly conducting ground planes. The formulation is based on using the surface integral equation with Green's function of the first or second kind as a boundary constraint. The solution region is divided into interior regions containing the cylindrical objects and the region exterior to all the objects. The finite-element formulation is applied inside the interior regions to derive a linear system of equations associated with nodal field values. Using two-boundary formulation, the surface integral equation is then applied at the truncation boundary as a boundary constraint to connect nodes on the boundaries to interior nodes. The technique presented here is highly efficient in terms of computing resources, versatile, and accurate in comparison with previously published methods. The near and far fields are generated for a finite and an infinite array of objects. While the surface integral equation in combination with the finite-element method was applied before to the problem of scattering from objects in free space, the application of the method to the important problem of scattering from objects above infinite flat ground planes is presented here for the first time, to our knowledge.     

The influence of a layer of mud on the train of waves generated by a moving pressure distribution

Two-dimensional free surface flows generated by a moving distribution of pressure are considered. The bottom is assumed to be covered by a thin layer of mud. The mud is modelled as a viscous fluid. The problem is solved numerically by a boundary integral equation method. It is shown that the layer of mud produces a damping of the waves in the far field. Profiles of the free surface and of the surface of the mud are presented.     

Arch dam–fluid interactions: By fem–bem and substructure concept

Arch dams can be conveniently analysed by the finite element method. For dam–fluid interaction problems, the fluid domain may be more conveniently handled by the boundary element method as a substructure first before connecting to the dam substructure. The added-mass matrix calculated from the fluid domain is symmetrized and lumped first so that the banded and symmetrical characteristics of the finite element method are retained. In the boundary element formulation, a mirror image method and quadratic elements are used for computational efficiency and accuracy. The strong singular terms are handled by using a solution which satisfies the governing equation and the free surface boundary condition. Infinite boundary conditions at the upstream of the reservoir can be reasonably approximated from the fundamental solution with accurate results, if the interior pressure distribution in the fluid domain is neglected. Numerical solutions on hydrodynamic pressure distribution and the natural frequencies of the dam–reservoir system with various water levels are obtained and compared with available analytical and experiment results.     

A complex variable boundary element method for solving plane and plate problems of elasticity

We consider the complex variable boundary element approximation of biharmonic problem on a smooth domain with various boundary conditions. Based on the Vekua's complex integral representation of the analytic function, a new boundary integral equation is formulated. The density function appearing in the integral equation is determined directly by using the boundary element method. Some plane and plate examples are presented, and the results of the numerical solutions are accurate everywhere in the solid, including the regions near the boundary.

The approach presented is only suitable for bounded simply connected regions.     

Numerical treatment of finite part integrals in 2-D boundary element analysis with application infracture mechanics

For the solution of problems in fracture mechanics by the boundary element method usually the subregion technique is employed to decouple the crack surfaces. In this paper a different procedure is presented. By using the displacement boundary integral equation on one side of the crack surface and the hypersingular traction boundary integral equation on the opposite side, one can renounce the subregion technique.An essential point when applying the traction boundary integral equation is the treatment of the thus arising hypersingular integrals. Two methods for their numerical computation are presented, both based on the finite part concept. One may either scale the integrals properly and use a specific quadrature rule, or one may apply the definition formula for finite part integrals and transform the resulting regular integrals into the usual element coordinate system afterwards. While the former method is restricted to linear or circular approximations of the boundary geometry, the latter one allows for arbitrary curved (e.g. isoparametric) elements. Two numerical examples are enclosed to demonstrate the accuracy of the two boundary integral equations technique compared with the subregion technique.     

Boundary element analysis of 3-D magnetostatic problems usingscalar potentials

A boundary element formulation for 3-D nonlinear magnetostatic field problems using the total scalar potential and its normal derivative as unknowns is described. The boundary integral equation is derived from a differential equation for the total scalar potential where a nonlinear operator term can be separated from a linear term. The nonlinear term leads to a volume integral which can be treated as a known forcing function within an iterative solution process. An additional forcing term results from the magnetic excitation coil system. It is shown that the line integral of the magnetic source field which can be defined outside of the current-carrying regions as a gradient of a scalar potential acts as an excitation term. The proposed method is applied to a test problem where an iron cube immersed in the magnetic field of a cylindrical coil is investigated. The numerical results for different saturation stages are compared with finite element method (FEM) calculations. The comparison with FEM calculations shows a good agreement only in highly saturated iron parts     

Application of boundary integral method to elastoplastic analysis of V-notched beams

The boundary integral equation method was applied in the solution of the plane elastoplastic problems. The use of this method was illustrated by obtaining stress and strain distributions for a number of specimens with a single edge notch and subjected to pure bending. The boundary integral equation method reduced the non-homogeneous biharmonic equation to two coupled Fredholm-type integral equations. These integral equations were replaced by a system of simultaneous algebraic equations and solved numerically in conjunction with the method of successive elastic solutions.     

Modal analysis of plates using the dual reciprocity boundary element method

This paper presents a new method for determining the natural frequencies and mode shapes for the free vibration of thin elastic plates using the boundary element and dual reciprocity methods. The solution to the plate's equation of motion is assumed to be of separable form. The problem is further simplified by using the fundamental solution of an infinite plate in the reciprocity theorem. Except for the inertia term, all domain integrals are transformed into boundary integrals using the reciprocity theorem. However, the inertia domain integral is evaluated in terms of the boundary nodes by using the dual reciprocity method. In this method, a set of interior points is selected and the deflection at these points is assumed to be a series of approximating functions. The reciprocity theorem is applied to reduce the domain integrals to a boundary integral. To evaluate the boundary integrals, the displacements and rotations are assumed to vary linearly along the boundary. The boundary integrals are discretized and evaluated numerically. The resulting matrix equations are significantly smaller than the finite element formulation for an equivalent problem. Mode shapes for the free vibration of circular and rectangular plates are obtained and compared with analytical and finite element results.