Iterative coupling of BEM and FEM for nonlinear dynamic analyses

The present work deals with the iterative coupling of boundary element and finite element methods. First, the domain of the original problem is subdivided into two subdomains, which are separately modeled by the FEM and BEM. Thus the special features and advantages of the two methodologies can be taken into account. Then, prescribing arbitrary transient boundary conditions, a successive renewal of the variables on the interface between the two subdomains is performed through an iterative procedure until the final convergence is achieved. In the case of local nonlinearities within the finite element subdomain, it is straightforward to perform the iterative coupling together with the iterations needed to solve the nonlinear system. The procedure turns out to be very efficient. Moreover, a special formulation allows taking into account different durations of the time steps in each subdomain.