An interactive method of interface boundary elements and partitioned finite elements for local continuous/discontinuous deformation problems

The interactive method of interface boundary elements (IBEs) and partitioned finite elements (PFEs) is proposed for solving such problems as local continuous/discontinuous deformation (i.e., landslide, concrete cracking, rock mass joints, and internal contraction joints) in concrete dams. The system is divided into continuous displacement bodies and continuous stress joints. The continuous displacement bodies are solved using PFE with the nodal displacements treated as variables, and the rigid displacements in each body and the constraining internal forces on the boundary interface are solved using IBE based on the continuous stress condition and the static force equilibrium condition in each body. Each IBE consists of all interface boundary nodes in a body, and the flexibility matrix is formed using PFE or theoretical analysis. Using this method, a nonlinear iteration procedure is carried out only on the possible discontinuous interface, an approach that greatly improves the computational efficiency. Three numerical examples are used to verify the correctness and validity of the proposed method. (C) 2014 The Authors. International Journal for Numerical Methods in Engineering published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.