An adaptive domain decomposition coupled finite element-boundary element method for solving problems in elasto-plasticity

The purpose of this paper is to present an adaptive finite element-boundary element method (FEM-BEM) coupling method that is valid for both two- and three-dimensional elasto-plastic analyses. The method takes care of the evolution of the elastic and plastic regions. It eliminates the cumbersome of a trial and error process in the identification of the FEM and BEM sub-domains in the standard FEM-BEM coupling approaches. The method estimates the FEM and BEM sub-domains and automatically generates/adapts the FEM and BEM meshes/sub-domains, according to the state of computation. The results for two- and three-dimensional applications in elasto-plasticity show the practicality and the efficiency of the adaptive FEM-BEM coupling method. Copyright (C) 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.