Benjamin Marussig

Fast isogeometric boundary element method based on independent field approximation

Abstract An isogeometric boundary element method for problems in elasticity is presented, which is based on an independent approximation for the geometry, traction and displacement field. This enables a flexible choice of refinement strategies, permits an efficient evaluation of geometry related information, a mixed collocation scheme which deals with discontinuous tractions along non-smooth boundaries and a significant reduction of the right hand side of the system of equations for common boundary conditions. All these benefits are achieved without any loss of accuracy compared to conventional isogeometric formulations. The system matrices are approximated by means of hierarchical matrices to reduce the computational complexity for large scale analysis. For the required geometrical bisection of the domain, a strategy for the evaluation of bounding boxes containing the supports of NURBS basis functions is presented. The versatility and accuracy of the proposed methodology are demonstrated by convergence studies showing optimal rates and real world examples in two and three dimensions.

A simple approach to the numerical simulation with trimmed CAD surfaces

Abstract In this work a novel method for the analysis with trimmed CAD surfaces is presented. The method involves an additional mapping step and the attraction stems from its simplicity and ease of implementation into existing Finite Element (FEM) or Boundary Element (BEM) software. The method is first verified with classical test examples in structural mechanics. Then two practical applications are presented one using the FEM, the other the BEM, that show the applicability of the method.

Isogeometric Boundary Element Method for the Simulation in Tunneling

Isogeometric finite element methods and more recently boundary element methods have been successfully applied to problems in mechanical engineering and have led to an increased accuracy and a reduction in simulation effort. Isogeometric boundary element methods have great potential for the simulation of problems in geomechanics, especially tunneling because an infinite domain can be considered without truncation. In this paper we discuss the implementation of the method in the research software BEFE++. Based on an example of a spherical excavation we show that a significant reduction in the number of parameters for describing the excavation boundary as well as an improved quality of the results can be obtained.

Stable isogeometric analysis of trimmed geometries

Abstract We explore extended B-splines as a stable basis for isogeometric analysis with trimmed parameter spaces. The stabilization is accomplished by an appropriate substitution of B-splines that may lead to ill-conditioned system matrices. The construction for non-uniform knot vectors is presented. The properties of extended B-splines are examined in the context of interpolation, potential, and linear elasticity problems and excellent results are attained. The analysis is performed by an isogeometric boundary element formulation using collocation. It is argued that extended B-splines provide a flexible and simple stabilization scheme which ideally suits the isogeometric paradigm.

INTEGRATION OF DESIGN AND ANALYSIS THROUGH BOUNDARY INTEGRAL EQUATIONS

The direct integration of Computer Aided Geometric Design (CAGD) models into a numerical simulation improves the accuracy of the geometrical representation of the problem as well as the efficiency of the overall analysis process. In this work, the complementary features of isogeometric analysis and boundary integral equations are combined to obtain a coalescence of design and analysis which is based on a boundary-only discretization. Following the isogeometric concept, the functions used by CAGD are employed for the simulation. An independent field approximation is applied to obtain a more flexible and efficient formulation. In addition, a procedure is presented which allows a stable analysis of trimmed geometries and a straightforward positioning of collocation points. Several numerical examples demonstrate the characteristics and benefits of the proposed approach. In particular, the independent field approximation improves the computational efficiency and reduces the storage requirements without any loss of accuracy. The proposed methodology permits a seamless integration of the most common design models into an analysis of linear elasticity problems.

Boundary Element Methods

This chapter provides an introduction to the iso-geometric Boundary Element Method (BEM). The standard iso-geometric BEM is presented first and then isometric concepts are introduced. Both plane and 3-D problems are discussed and details of implementation given. The method is extended to non-homogeneous and non-linear problems. The main applications are in geotechnical engineering.