The penalty boundary method

Traditional methods for applying boundary conditions in finite element analysis require the mesh to conform to the geometry boundaries. This in turn requires complex meshing algorithms for automated mesh generation from CAD geometry, particularly when using quadrilateral and hexahedral elements. The penalty boundary method (PBM) is introduced as a method that significantly reduces the time required for generating finite element models because the mesh is not required to conform to the CAD geometry. The PBM also eliminates discretization error as boundary conditions are applied using CAD geometry directly rather than an approximation of the geometry. The PBM employs penalty methods to apply boundary conditions on a simple, regular mesh. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.