Application of the finite volume method and unstructured meshes to linear elasticity

A recent emergence of the finite volume method (FVM) in structural analysis promises a viable alternative to the well-established finite element solvers. In this paper, the linear stress analysis problem is discretized using the practices usually associated with the FVM in fluid flows. These include the second-order accurate discretization on control volumes of arbitrary polyhedral shape; segregated solution procedure, in which the displacement components are solved consecutively and iterative solvers for the systems of linear algebraic equations. Special attention is given to the optimization of the discretization practice in order to provide rapid convergence for the segregated solution procedure. The solver is set-up to work efficiently on parallel distributed memory computer architectures, allowing a fast turn-around for the mesh sizes expected in an industrial environment. The methodology is validated on two test cases: stress concentration around a circular hole and transient wave propagation in a bar. Finally, the steady and transient stress analysis of a Diesel injector valve seat in 3-D is presented, together with the set of parallel speed-up results. Copyright (C) 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.