A GFDM approach based on the finite pointset method for two-dimensional piezoelectric problems

Abstract

In this article a novel Generalized Finite Difference Method (GFDM) derived from the so-called Finite Pointset Method (FPM) is presented and discussed for the first time to solve two-dimensional piezoelectric structures. In this approach, the approximation of the field variables depends on both the governing equations and the local problem discretization, and it incorporates the minimization of the errors of the governing equations being solved, which directly leads to its numerical solution. This truly meshfree formulation is applied in order to solve a static piezoelectric problem that consists of the coupled partial differential equations for the deformations and the electric field, in terms of the displacements and the scalar electric potential. The numerical results of some two-dimensional benchmark problems using the proposed approach are reported and compared with analytical solutions, if available, or with reference numerical solutions, in order to demonstrate its accuracy and suitability for this kind of problems. These numerical results suggest that the proposed GFDM formulation is feasible and promising for solving two-dimensional piezoelectric problems.