Boundary‐Element Iterative Reanalysis for Continuum Structures

Abstract

Iterative reanalysis methods are formulated for use with the boundary‐element analysis (BEA) method. They find application, most commonly, in procedures for the optimum design of structural shapes. Reanalysis strategies that use analysis information from the original (unmodified) BEA model are first established. A scaling technique is then presented to accelerate the rate of convergence and extend the relative amount of modification a model can experience in a convergent iterative reanalysis. Numerous test cases are discussed to demonstrate the effectiveness of these strategies. Timing, storage, and accuracy results are included in these studies. It is shown that the formulated iterative techniques produce displacement and stress results that are as accurate as those produced in a completely new analysis, with less use of computer resources. For the technically important class of continuum problems involving large stress gradients and stress concentration, the iterative techniques are shown to converge for shape modifications beyond the range of those expected to occur in the course of a shape optimization search sequence.