Domain/boundary decomposition method for finite element analyses with contact boundaries

This paper discusses a domain/boundary decomposition method for efficient finite element analyses of contact problems. The whole domain is regarded as a set of subdomains, an interface and contact interfaces. The penalty formulation is carried out to combine the interface or contact interfaces with the neighboring subdomains that satisfy continuity constraints As a result, non-linearity due to the contact boundaries can be localized in a few subdomains and/or contact interfaces, and the computational efficiency is greatly improved by adopting suitable solution algorithms. Numerical examples demonstrate these advantageous features of the proposed method. (C) 2008 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.