Generalized Finite Element Method: new developments and applications

• Grant number: 11/17924-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: May 01, 2012
• End date: July 31, 2012
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Civil Engineering - Structural Engineering
• Principal Investigator: Sergio Persival Baroncini Proenca
• Grantee: Alessandro Teixeira Neto
• Host Institution: Escola de Engenharia de São Carlos (EESC). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Recently, the research project titled Computational Toolkit to Nonlinear Analysis of Solid and Structures by the Generalized Finite Element Method was proposed by the supervisor of the current project and received the FAPESP approval. The computational toolkit will be written by using PYTHON language and object oriented programming. The current post-doctorate project aims to provide complementary implementations and research issues adherent to the above mentioned project, to be known: (a) Partition of unity formulations by Shepard shape functions using the inverse square law; enrichments to these partitions of unity and strategies regarding their numerical integration; (b) Specific investigation of enrichments involving step functions and their regularization; (c) Clustered Partitions of Unity: applications for imposing Dirichlet's boundary condition and dealing with blended elements; (d) Orthotropic enrichment technique to the efficient solution of boundary layer problems; (e) GFEM on transient formulations, specially to those fluid-structure interaction linear problems; emphasis on the GFEM performance assessment with respect to the FEM conventional approach. It must be noted that beyond adding to the candidate skills this project will contribute for the improvement of the GFEM research line, which has been conducted in São Carlos, since all the investigated topics will be implemented in the computational toolkit, disseminated by means of scientific papers and technical reports, as well as incorporated to the syllabus of the GFEM post-graduate course.