Element-free Galerkin Method Research Articles

Topology Optimization for Elasticity Problem of Isotropic and Orthotropic Materials Based on the Complex Variable Element-Free Galerkin Method

By using the improved complex variable moving least squares (ICVMLS) approximation to construct the shape function, thus the improved complex variable element-free Galerkin (ICVEFG) method is established for analyzing two types of topology optimization problems including isotropic and orthotropic materials in this study. Solid isotropic microstructure with penalization (SIMP) is utilized with relative density of nodes selected as the design variable, volume fraction set as the constraint and structural flexibility selected as the objective function, thus a mathematical model for topology optimization is developed, and the formula of sensitivity is derived. Four optimization examples of isotropic and orthotropic materials are given, and the feasibility of the ICVEFG method for solving topology optimization problem is demonstrated, in addition, the checkerboard phenomenon can be avoided; it is also shown that the ICVEFG method is more advantageous than the EFG method in solving orthotropic beam as well as isotropic problem with two fixed ends.

Analysis of a Crank–Nicolson fast element-free Galerkin method for the nonlinear complex Ginzburg–Landau equation

A fast element-free Galerkin (EFG) method is proposed in this paper for solving the nonlinear complex Ginzburg–Landau equation. A second-order accurate time semi-discrete system is presented by using the Crank–Nicolson scheme for the temporal discretization, and then a meshless fully discrete system is established by using the EFG method for the spatial discretization. In the proposed EFG method, Nitsche’s technique is used to impose the essential boundary conditions in a weak sense, and the reproducing kernel gradient smoothing integration is used to accelerate the calculation. Theoretical errors for the time semi-discrete system and the fully discrete EFG system are analyzed in detail. Optimal error estimates of the fully discrete Crank–Nicolson EFG method are obtained in both L2 and H1 norms. Numerical results validate the theoretical results and the effectiveness of the method.

Multi-scale topology optimization of periodic structures with orthotropic multiple materials using the element-free Galerkin method

ABSTRACT A multi-scale topology optimization model is proposed for orthotropic multi-material periodic structures using the element-free Galerkin method. The macro multi-material distribution is optimized with the alternating active-phase algorithm, and the effective elastic tensor of multi-type microstructures is determined by energy-based homogenization. The feasibility of the model is verified and the effects of the quantities of material types and design subdomains, the Poisson's ratio factor and the multi-material off-angle on topological configuration and compliance are studied. The results indicate that the quantity of material types affects the mechanical properties of the periodic structure, and different microstructure configurations can be obtained under different numbers of design subdomains. The increase in the Poisson's ratio factor and decrease in the off-angle can enhance the effective elastic properties of the microstructure and reduce the compliance. Reasonable values of the Poisson's ratio factor and multi-material off-angle are suggested to be 2–4 and 0–45°.

Solving linear elasticity benchmark problems via the overset improved element-free Galerkin-finite element method

A novel approach for the solution of linear elasticity problems is introduced in this communication, which uses a hybrid chimera-type technique based on both finite element and improved element-free Galerkin methods. The proposed overset improved element-free Galerkin-finite element method (Ov-IEFG-FEM) for linear elasticity uses the finite element method (FEM) throughout the entire problem geometry, whereas a fine distribution of overlapping nodes is used to perform higher order approximations via the improved element-free Galerkin (IEFG) technique in regions demanding more computational accuracy. The method relies on keeping the FEM-based results in those regions where low order of approximation is enough to provide the required accuracy, i.e. outside the region where the solution will be enriched via the IEFG technique. The overlapping domains perform an iterative transfer of kinematics information through well-defined immersed boundaries, and a detailed explanation on this regard is also presented in this communication. The Ov-IEFG-FEM is used in a set of increasingly complex linear elasticity problems, and the outcomes demonstrate the suitability and reliability of this technique to solve such problems in an accurate and remarkably simple manner.

A hybrid interpolating element-free Galerkin method for 3D steady-state convection diffusion problems

This study investigates a hybrid interpolating element-free Galerkin (HIEFG) method for solving 3D convection diffusion problems. The HIEFG approach divides a 3D solution domain into a sequence of interconnected 2D sub-domains, and in these 2D sub-domains, the interpolating element-free Galerkin (IEFG) method is applied to form the discretized equations. The improved interpolating moving least-squares (IMLS) method is used to obtain the shape function of the IEFG method for 2D problems. The finite difference method is employed to combine the discretized equations in 2D sub-domains in the splitting direction. Then, the HIEFG method's formulas are derived for steady-state convection diffusion problems in 3D solution domain. Three numerical examples are used to discuss the impacts of the number of nodes, the number of split layers, and the scaling parameters of the influence domain on the computational precision and CPU time of the HIEFG technique. Imposing boundary conditions directly and the dimension splitting technique in this method significantly improves the computational speed greatly.

Deep Learning-Meshless Method for Inverse Potential Problems

This paper combines the deep learning method with the meshless method to propose a new numerical method, which is the deep learning-improved element-free Galerkin (DL-IEFG) method, for solving inverse potential problems. In this method, the unknown term in the governing equation of the inverse potential problem is represented by the feedforward neural network (FNN). By employing the improved element-free Galerkin (IEFG) method to solve the inverse potential problem, the solution equations are established to obtain numerical solutions. The training set is constructed on the valid values obtained from discretized observation spatial points. The predicted values at the training sample points are calculated by combining the numerical solutions with the approximation function built by the improved moving least-squares (MLS) approximation. Then, the FNN representing the unknown term is iterated using the loss function. The effectiveness of the DL-IEFG method for solving potential inverse problems is validated through numerical examples. In addition, the factors impacting the calculation accuracy and efficiency of the DL-IEFG method are investigated.

Topology optimization for minimizing the mean compliance under thermo-mechanical loads using element-free Galerkin method

This paper presents a numerical model for addressing thermo-mechanical coupling problems in topology optimization, utilizing the element-free Galerkin (EFG) method. A multi-parameter density-based topology optimization framework is introduced to interpolate the thermal stress coefficient, encompassing thermal conductivity, thermal expansion coefficient, and elastic modulus. Two numerical examples are provided to investigate the model's characteristics and associated considerations, including the impact of EFG node distribution, quantity, calculation points layout, design variables, and filtering techniques on optimized results. Numerical findings indicates that the present model allows for adaptable adjustments in nodes number and distribution, calculation points layout, choice of design variables, and application of various filtering techniques while maintaining consistent background grids. Although these adjustments may affect convergence rates and final objective values, they can promise satisfactory optimization structures. Additionally, the study highlights the critical influence of filtering radius on optimization outcomes and the objective value, recommending a value of approximately 16∼20 calculation points.

A Novel Approach for Thermoelastic Fracture Simulation in Bimaterials Using Element-Free Galerkin Method with Improved Interface Modeling

Layered materials play a crucial role in numerous essential structures, including adhesive connections, composite laminates, and various electronic components. This work focuses on proposing a novel framework of algorithms to improve the adaptability of element-free Galerkin method for modeling fracture in bimaterials exposed to thermoelastic loads. A bimaterial fracture problem is modeled as a combination of both weak and strong discontinuities — strong discontinuity owing to the presence of crack and weak discontinuity due to inherent material discontinuities. Initially, three distinct methods, comprising domain partitioning, lagrange multiplier, and jump function have been employed for interface crack modeling and error norm is used as an indicator to select the optimum one. Second, a novel interface enrichment algorithm has been introduced to effectively model the interface with limited computational costs with higher accuracy. Owing to the applicability of bimaterials in numerous applications under a combination of thermal/mechanical loads, the proposed formulation has been utilized for modeling and simulating a diverse bimaterial thermoelastic fracture problems using the proposed framework. The mixed mode (complex) stress intensity factors (SIFs) are numerically examined using modified domain form of interaction integral. A good agreement of results with available results from literature extends the computational prowess of the proposed framework in modeling a variety of thermoelastic bimaterial problems accurately and swiftly as compared to conventional EFGM.

Topology optimization of orthotropic multi-material microstructures with maximum thermal conductivity based on element-free Galerkin method

A topology optimization model for periodic heat transfer microstructure with orthotropic multi-material is established by using the element-free Galerkin method (EFGM) and alternating active-phase algorithm (AAPA). The maximum thermal conductivity is chosen as the opposite number of objective function, and the 3-D printing of the microstructure and heat transfer analysis are performed to validate the proposed model. The effects of the number of multi-material categories, the initial distributions of multi-material, the thermal conductivity factor, and the multi-material off-angle on the topological configuration with maximum thermal conductivity are studied. The results show that the multi-material topological configuration is comprised the material with a higher thermal conductivity as the primary frame and surrounded by the material with the lower thermal conductivity. The initial distribution of multi-material has a little impact on the maximum thermal conductivity. The alteration of the thermal conductivity factor will contribute to the accumulating of materials in the direction of the higher thermal conductivity, and the material stacking direction is more inclined to the direction of multi-material off-angle. The reasonable values of multi-material thermal conductivity factor is suggested to be 2–4 and multi-material off-angle is suggested to be 0°–30° and 60°–90°.

A stabilised Total Lagrangian Element-Free Galerkin method for transient nonlinear solid dynamics

AbstractThis paper presents a new stabilised Element-Free Galerkin (EFG) method tailored for large strain transient solid dynamics. The method employs a mixed formulation that combines the Total Lagrangian conservation laws for linear momentum with an additional set of geometric strain measures. The main aim of this paper is to adapt the well-established Streamline Upwind Petrov–Galerkin (SUPG) stabilisation methodology to the context of EFG, presenting three key contributions. Firstly, a variational consistent EFG computational framework is introduced, emphasising behaviours associated with nearly incompressible materials. Secondly, the suppression of non-physical numerical artefacts, such as zero-energy modes and locking, through a well-established stabilisation procedure. Thirdly, the stability of the SUPG formulation is demonstrated using the time rate of Hamiltonian of the system, ensuring non-negative entropy production throughout the entire simulation. To assess the stability, robustness and performance of the proposed algorithm, several benchmark examples in the context of isothermal hyperelasticity and large strain plasticity are examined. Results show that the proposed algorithm effectively addresses spurious modes, including hour-glassing and spurious pressure fluctuations commonly observed in classical displacement-based EFG frameworks.

Element-based finite volume method applied to autogenous bead-on-plate GTAW process using the enthalpy energy equation

The welding process is the most used technique for metal joining. Understanding the temperature variation along the welded part during the process can prevent the appearance of failures. The experimental investigation process is quite time-consuming and costly. Therefore, numerical simulation processes based on the finite difference method, finite element method, finite volume method, or meshless Element-Free Galerkin (EFG) methods are important tools to optimize the welding process. The main goal of the present study is to show the feasibility of the Element-based Finite-Volume Method (EbFVM) approach for actual engineering applications. To solve the unsteady 2D and 3D thermal energy equation using enthalpy as an independent variable, an in-house Fortran code has been developed based on the EbFVM approach in conjunction with unstructured and structured meshes. The numerical simulations, with four types of different heat sources, were performed for applications of real welding processes with variations in density and enthalpy as a function of temperature. The results are presented in terms of thermal cycles and temperature fields. Furthermore, the developed code was confronted against experimental works from the literature, simulated and lab-controlled experiments with AISI 409 ferritic workpieces, and exact analytical solutions with thermocouples fixed in different positions. In general, the numerical results from the current investigation are in close agreement with the results from the literature and the experimental results performed by the authors. The numerical results also highlighted the differences between the 2D and 3D models for thermal cycles near the bead weld.

Analysis of the dynamic response for Kirchhoff plates by the element-free Galerkin method

Dynamic response analysis involves examining structural behavior under dynamic loading conditions. Transient dynamic analysis emerges as a method employed to assess the responses of deformable bodies. Due to the depth analysis of transient responses for thin plates, the associated error analysis work becomes particularly important. In this work, we conduct stability and convergence analysis of the element-free Galerkin (EFG) method for the dynamic response of Kirchhoff plate model. We start by discretizing the thin plate dynamics using the EFG method for the spatial domain and the central difference scheme for the temporal domain. Stability and convergence analysis for transient responses, including deflection and moment responses, are derived similarly to those in two-dimensional transient structural dynamic analysis. The key to the analysis is transforming the governing equations and clamped boundary conditions into a weak formulation with penalty terms using the penalty method. The main results demonstrate a significant correlation between the error estimate and both nodal spacing and time step size. Additionally, the continuity of the approximation functions and the selection of penalty factors significantly affect numerical accuracy. To validate the theoretical results, we conduct numerical experiments involving clamped square and L-shaped plates with uniform and nonuniform node distributions, as well as a perforated plate model. Furthermore, we investigate the impact of node influence domains and penalty factors on numerical accuracy, facilitating parameter selection for practical engineering applications.

EFG meshless-ANN approach for free vibration analysis of functionally graded material plates on elastic foundation in thermal environments

This study focuses on free vibration analysis of functionally graded material (FGM) plates supported by Winkler–Pasternak elastic foundation in thermal environment using element-free Galerkin (EFG) meshless method. Plate kinematics depend on first-order shear deformation theory. Uniform, linear, and nonlinear temperature variations through the thickness direction are considered, along with the temperature-dependent material properties. The numerical outcomes obtained from EFG method are compared with those available in the published literature to validate the proposed method’s accuracy. An artificial neural network (ANN) model that can easily predict the natural frequencies of the plate is constructed from the EFG method outcomes. Further, the effect of foundation parameters, power law index, thickness ratio, temperature variations, and different boundary conditions are investigated; results show that these significantly influence the vibration response of FGM plates supported by the elastic foundation. Increasing the temperature of FGM plates supported by the Winkler–Pasternack foundation causes a decrease in the dimensionless fundamental natural frequency, and the uniform temperature influence is greater than that of linear and nonlinear temperature variation. The proposed EFG-ANN prediction model saves approximately 98.80% computation time when predicting the natural frequency with an accuracy of approximately 98.76% compared to that by EFG meshless method alone.

The dimension coupling method for 3D transient heat conduction problem with variable coefficients

In this study, a dimension coupling method (DCM) is presented to study the variable coefficients transient heat conduction problems. The dimension splitting method (DSM) is introduced to split the 3D domain into some 2D domains, which are discretized by selecting the improved element-free Galerkin (IEFG) method; thus the corresponding discretized equation in each 2D domain is derived, and the finite element method (FEM) is employed to deal with these discretized equations in a third direction, and the time-dependent term is discretized by selecting the finite difference method (FDM), thus the final solved equation of the transient heat conduction problems is obtained. In the first example, the convergence is proved by increasing the nodes and meshes on the influence of relative errors. Some numerical results illustrate that the proposed method can substantially enhance the computational efficiency of the IEFG method. When an exact solution of the numerical example is a nonlinear function about splitting direction with natural boundary condition is given, the proposed method has shorter computing time than the hybrid element-free Galerkin (HEFG) method when dealing with this situation.

Analysis of functionally graded piezoelectric structures by Hermite interpolation element-free Galerkin method

Functionally graded piezoelectric structures (FGPSs) have excellent electromechanical properties and are promising for engineering applications. However, the inhomogeneous material properties and piezoelectric effects create great difficulties in the mechanical analysis of the FGPSs. In this paper, a Hermite interpolation element-free Galerkin method (HIEFGM) is proposed for the numerical analysis of the FGPSs. The HIEFGM utilizes a set of nodes to represent the problem domain, which can ideally reflect the inhomogeneous material properties of the FGPSs. Firstly, the governing equations of the FGPSs are derived through the constitutive equation, equilibrium equation, and boundary conditions. Secondly, the approximating function of the field quantities is obtained by the improved moving least-square method and Hermite interpolation. The HIEFGM formulation of the FGPSs is obtained using the variational principle. Furtherly, the influence of weight function, scaling parameter, and node densities on the HIEFGM of the FGPSs is discussed in detail through a parameter study. Finally, the availability of present method is estimated by several examples with different configurations and boundary conditions. The influence of gradation exponent on the electromechanical responses of the FGPSs is analyzed. The results show that the present method has excellent accuracy and stability in analyzing the FGPSs. As the gradation exponent increases, the distribution of the field quantities of the FGPSs exhibits nonlinear characteristics. This work may provide an effective methodology for the analysis of the FGPSs, and contribute to the theoretical research and engineering application of the FGPSs.

Analysis of a fast element-free Galerkin method for the multi-term time-fractional diffusion equation

In this paper, a fast element-free Galerkin (EFG) method is proposed for solving the multi-term time-fractional diffusion equation (TFDE). Through the use of the multi-term L2−1σ formula to discrete the multi-term Caputo time-fractional derivative, a fast second-order scheme is presented for the temporal discretization, and then the EFG method is used to perform the spatial discretization. The stability of the temporal discretization scheme is discussed. By verifying the fractional Grönwall inequality, the global error of the proposed EFG method for the multi-term TFDE is analyzed in theory. Numerical results validate the theoretical results and the effectiveness of the method.

Radial basis point interpolation for strain field calculation in digital image correlation

In order to extract smooth and accurate strain fields from the noisy displacement fields obtained by digital image correlation (DIC), a point interpolation meshless (PIM) method with a radial basis function (RBF) is introduced for full-field strain calculation, which overcomes the problems of slow calculation speed and unstable matrix inverse calculation of the element-free Galerkin method (EFG). The radial basis point interpolation method (RPIM) with three different radial basis functions and the moving least squares (MLS) and pointwise least squares (PLS) methods are compared by analyzing and validating the strain fields with high-strain gradients in simulation experiments. The results indicate that the RPIM is nearly 80% more computationally efficient than the MLS method when a larger support domain is used, and the efficiency of the RPIM is nearly 26% higher than that of the MLS method when a smaller support domain is used; the strain calculation accuracy is slightly lower than that of the MLS method by 0.3–0.5%, but the stability of the calculation is significantly improved. In contrast with the PLS method, which is easily affected by the noise and the size of the strain calculation window, the RPIM is insensitive to the displacement noise and the size of the support domain and can obtain a similar calculation accuracy. The RPIM with multiquadric (MQ) radial basis functions performs well in balancing the computational accuracy and efficiency and is insensitive to shape parameters. The application cases show that the method can effectively compute the strain field at the crack tip, validating its applicability to the study of the plastic region at the crack tip. In conclusion, the proposed RPIM-based method provides an accurate, practical, and robust approach for full-field strain measurements.

Error estimation for non-linear singularly perturbed reaction–diffusion parabolic problems via element-free Galerkin method

Error estimation for non-linear singularly perturbed reaction–diffusion parabolic problems via element-free Galerkin method

Error analysis of the element-free Galerkin method for a nonlinear plate problem

In this work, we derive a geometrically nonlinear plate model based on the Kirchhoff hypothesis and the large deflection hypothesis, and provide an error analysis of the corresponding element-free Galerkin method. The penalty method is employed to enforce boundary conditions. The error estimate explicitly depends on nodal spacing, number of monomial basis functions, continuity of weight functions, and penalty factors, which provides some practical choices among these key parameters in engineering applications. In addition, we offer guidance on selecting appropriate penalty factors to improve numerical accuracy. Numerical experiments, involving clamped square and circle plates with uniform and nonuniform nodes, as well as a plate model with a corner singularity, are presented to validate the theoretical results.

Enrichment of the element free Galerkin method for cracks and notches without a priori knowledge of the analytical singularity order

We introduce a novel enrichment technique for the element free Galerkin (EFG) method to capture the infinite stress field around the crack or notch tip. The singular enrichment bases are built through a weighted residual application of the governing partial differential equation. A special mapping is used to adapt the bases with the singularities. These bases are used in a moving least squares approximation to enrich the smooth polynomial bases of the EFG within the singularity-dominated zone in an intrinsic approach. The novelty of the method is that no a priori knowledge of the analytical singularity order is required to reproduce the singular bases, but they are automatically built during the solution procedure. The diffraction technique has been used to model the discontinuity of the notch tip. The effect of various parameters, including the enriched region size, enrichment factors, nodal distribution and irregularities, has been examined. Validation of the method using available analytical solutions or finite element modeling, revealed that the proposed enrichment is quite effective and accurate for displacement and stress components.