Latin American Journal of Solids and Structures ()

An object-oriented class design for the generalized finite element method programming

  • Dorival Piedade Neto,
  • Manoel Dênis Costa Ferreira,
  • Sergio Persival Baroncini Proença

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1590/S1679-78252013000600010
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 10, no. 6
pp. 1267 – 1291

Abstract

Read online

The Generalized Finite Element Method (GFEM) is a numerical method based on the Finite Element Method (FEM), presenting as its main feature the possibility of improving the solution by means of local enrichment functions. In spite of its advantages, the method demands a complex data structure, which can be especially benefited by the Object-Oriented Programming (OOP). Even though the OOP for the traditional FEM has been extensively described in the technical literature, specific design issues related to the GFEM are yet little discussed and not clearly defined. In the present article it is described an Object-Oriented (OO) class design for the GFEM, aiming to achieve a computational code that presents a flexible class structure, circumventing the difficulties associated to the method characteristics. The proposed design is evaluated by means of some numerical examples, computed using a code implemented in Python programming language.

Keywords