Dispersion Reduction for the Wave Propagation Problems Using a Coupled “FE-Meshfree” Triangular Element

Abstract

As is known to all, there always exists the numerical dispersive effects of the standard finite element (FE) for the wave propagation problems and the corresponding FE solutions are usually unreliable in relatively high frequency range. In this work, a coupled “FE-Meshfree” element based on triangular mesh is introduced to reduce the dispersion effects for wave propagation problems. In this coupled element, the standard FE nodal shape functions are combined with the meshfree nodal shape functions to give a new hybrid nodal shape functions. As a result, both the individual advantages of the FE technique and the meshfree technique are strengthened by the present hybrid method. Through the dispersion analysis for the wave propagation problems, it is found that this coupled “FE-Meshfree” element could significantly reduce the numerical dispersive effects and it also have a higher tolerance to the mesh distortion than the other existing elements, hence the present method is quite promising to handle the general wave propagation problems in practical engineering application.