A boundary-perturbation finite element method for plane elasticity problems (Q1187409): Difference between revisions

A boundary perturbation technique has been frequently applied to different problems: eigenvalue problem, water waves, nuclear reactor physics. The elasticity problems, particularly stress concentration around holes, were often treated. In the paper a boundary perturbation technique is combined with a finite element method to facilitate the solution of two-dimensional boundary value problems associated with imperfect boundaries. The actual imperfect boundary can be regarded as a slight perturbation of a simpler and smoother curve, referred to as the ideal boundary. The original problem is replaced by a sequence of problems which are associated with the ideal boundary. Mostly only two or three first problems in that sequence are considered, since their algebraic complexity increases rapidly. Up to now the complex problems were reduced to problems that could be treated analytically. In the paper the simplified problems are solved sequentially by using the finite element method. The fundamental features of the approach proposed were considered for the example of a thin rectangular sheet containing a slightly distorted elliptic hole. More complex structures were also presented. Certain advantages of the presented technique can be interesting: 1) the ideal boundary is smoother and requires less nodal points in the finite element mesh, 2) the mesh remains unchanged for different shapes of perturbation, 3) all simplified problems are defined in the same domain and are associated with the same differential operator; the meshing stiffness matrix formulation and factorization is carried out once, 4) the approach could be a base for the shape optimization schemes. Although the technique is applied to elastostatics, the extension to nonlinear problems or time dependent problems is possible.