Boundary discretization

In the present paper the Boundary Finite Element Method is presented as a boundary discretization method for the numerical investigation of interfacial stress concentrations in composite laminates. In contrast to the classical boundary element method, the element formulation is finite element based, which avoids the necessity of a fundamental solution. Comparative results from finite element calculations show good agreement both for the laminate free-edge effect and for the example of the stress concentrations near cracks in composite laminates. 

Keywords Boundary Finite Element Method, composite laminates, stress localization, laminate free-edge effect, free-edge stresses, crack problems, transverse matrix crack, numerical methods, boundary discretization... 

For numerical investigations of stress localizations in laminates, the discretizational effort can be reduced significantly if only the boundary needs to be discretized, as it is for e -ample the case in the classical boundary element method (BEM). But in this method a fundamental solution is needed which is in many cases difficult to achieve or even unknown. The Boundary Finite Element Method (BFEM) to be presented here does not require such a fundamental solution, because the element formulation is based on the finite element method (FEM), Thus the BFEM can be characterized to be a finite element based boundary discretization method. This method was originally developed from Wolf and Song [10] under the name Consistent Finite Element Cell Method for time-dependent problems in soil-mechanics. The basic assumption of this method is that a stiffness matrix describing the force-displacement relation at discrete degrees of freedom at the boundary of the continuum is scalable with respect to one point in three-dimensional space, the so-called similarity center, if similar contours within the continuum are considered. In contrast to this, the current work deals with the case of equivalent cross-sectional properties, i.e., that cross-sections parallel to the boundary can be described by the same stiffness matrix, which is the appropriate formulation for the case of the free-edge effect and the matrix crack problem. The boundary stiffness matrix results from a Matrix-Riccati equation. The field quantities inside of the continuum can be calculated from an ordinary differential equation. 

De JongJF, van Sint Annaland M, Kuipers JAM Membrane-assisted fluidized beds—part 1 development of an immersed boundary discrete particle model, Chem Eng Sd 84(24) 814-821, 2012b. 

Boundary Discretization and Obtaining the System of Linear Algebraic Equations (SLAE)... 

Periodic boundary conditions force k to be a discrete variable with allowed values occurring at intervals of lull. For very large systems, one can describe the system as continuous in the limit of i qo. Electron states can be defined by a density of states defmed as follows ... 

Seideman T and Miller W H 1992 Quantum mechanical reaction probabilities via a discrete variable representation-absorbing boundary condition Green function J. Chem. Phys. 97 2499... 

In most engineering problems the boundary of the problem domain includes curved sections. The discretization of domains with curved boundaries using meshes that consist of elements with straight sides inevitably involves some error. This type of discretization error can obviously be reduced by mesh refinements. However, in general, it cannot be entirely eliminated unless finite elements which themselves have curved sides are used. 

The discretization of a problem domain into a finite element mesh consisting of randomly sized triangular elements is shown in Figure 2,1. In the coarse mesh shown there are relatively large gaps between the actual domain boundary and the boundary of the mesh and hence the overall discretization error is expected to be large. 

The weighted residual method provides a flexible mathematical framework for the construction of a variety of numerical solution schemes for the differential equations arising in engineering problems. In particular, as is shown in the followmg section, its application in conjunction with the finite element discretizations yields powerful solution algorithms for field problems. To outline this technique we consider a steady-state boundary value problem represented by the following mathematical model... 

In conjunction with the discrete penalty schemes elements belonging to the Crouzeix-Raviart group arc usually used. As explained in Chapter 2, these elements generate discontinuous pressure variation across the inter-element boundaries in a mesh and, hence, the required matrix inversion in the working equations of this seheme can be carried out at the elemental level with minimum computational cost. 

Step 2 an initial configuration representing the partially filled discretized domain is considered and an array consisting of the appropriate values of F - 1, 0.5 and 0 for nodes containing fluid, free surface boundary and air, respectively, is prepared. The sets of initial values for the nodal velocity, pressure and temperature fields in the solution domain are assumed and stored as input arrays. An array containing the boundary conditions along the external boundaries of the solution domain is prepared and stored. 

The boundary conditions, not the Sehrodinger equation, determine whether the eigenvalues will be discrete or continuous... 

A particle is a single unit of material having discrete physical boundaries which define its size, usually in micrometers, p.m (1 fim (lO" A) = 1 X cm = 1 x 10 m). The size of a particle is usually expressed by the dimension of its diameter. Typically, particle science is... 

Elliptic Equations Elhptic equations can be solved with both finite difference and finite element methods. One-dimensional elhptic problems are two-point boundary value problems. Two- and three-dimensional elliptic problems are often solved with iterative methods when the finite difference method is used and direct methods when the finite element method is used. So there are two aspects to consider howthe equations are discretized to form sets of algebraic equations and howthe algebraic equations are then solved. 

Subdivision or discretization of the flow domain into cells or elements. There are methods, called boundary element methods, in which the surface of the flow domain, rather than the volume, is discretized, but the vast majority of CFD work uses volume discretization. Discretization produces a set of grid lines or cuives which define a mesh and a set of nodes at which the flow variables are to be calculated. The equations of motion are solved approximately on a domain defined by the grid. Curvilinear or body-fitted coordinate system grids may be used to ensure that the discretized domain accurately represents the true problem domain. 

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