An efficient time-domain FEM/BEM coupling approach based on FEM implicit Green's functions and truncation of BEM time convolution process

This paper describes an efficient scheme for coupling the FE and the BE methods. The domain of the original problem is subdivided into two sub-domains, which are independently modelled by the FEM and the BEM. Both sub-domains are analyzed separately and the coupling is enforced at their interface. The FEM time-marching process is carried out through an algorithm based on implicit Green's functions of the related mechanical system and the convolution process of the BEM is compressed by proper interpolation of the time generated matrices. The efficiency of the proposed scheme is improved by a special procedure to deal with different time-step choices in each sub-domain. At the end of the paper numerical examples are presented in order to illustrate the accuracy and efficiency of the present approach. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.