Recent Engineering Applications in China on Coupling Boundary Elements With Finite Elements

Abstract

This review article deals with some recent investigations in China in coupling boundary elements (BEs) with finite elements (FEs) during the last decade. Two types of combination schemes are used for coupling the BEs with FEs are discussed. One is merging of FE to BE for the sake of high local stress or stress intensity factor computations. The other is coupling BE to FE for fitting BEs with infinite boundary requirements to the case of some complex local FEs computations. Fluid-solid interaction, and the impact response problem are examined by FE-BE coupling methods. The domain decomposition method of alternative FE and natural BE over unbounded domain, variational principles and transient problems in coupling FE-BE are also discussed. Several application examples in engineering practice solved by the combination of FE-BE are given. The results show that the combination of the two methods should be one of the feasible engineering design approaches to the structural analysis of complex structures or machinery. This review article contains 70 references.