Difference equations approach to the analysis of layered systems (Q1184650)

The authors considered a package of \(n\) layers or a chain of some other material regions. The main feature is that each layer has parts that are common with only its two neighbours, the first and the last having only one. The system exhibits a `chain pattern'. The essence of the difference equations approach for chain-like systems lies in the use of relations that connect boundary values on three successive boundaries of two adjacent layers. The system can be applied to various quantities (tractions, displacements or some combination that provides the correct boundary value problem for two layers). The effective method of solving a second order system of difference equations is the sweep method which has two special features: it has a small number of arithmetical operations, and is insensitive (under some conditions) to rounding-off errors.