Interpolating element-free Galerkin method for viscoelasticity problems

In this paper, based on the improved interpolating moving least-square (IMLS) approximation, the interpolating element-free Galerkin (IEFG) method for two-dimensional viscoelasticity problems is presented. The shape function constructed by the IMLS approximation can overcome the shortcomings that the shape function of the moving least-squares (MLS) can-not satisfy the property of Kronecker function, so the essential boundary conditions can be directly applied to the IEFG method. Under a similar computational precision, compared with the meshless method based on the MLS approximation, the meshless method using the IMLS approximation has a high computational efficiency. Using the IMLS approximation to form the shape function and adopting the Galerkin weak form of the two-dimensional viscoelasticity problem to obtain the final discretized equation, the formulae for two-dimensional viscoelasticity problem are derived by the IEFG method. The IEFG method has some advantages over the conventional element-free Galerkin (EFG) method, such as the concise formulae and direct application of the essential boundary conditions, For the IEFG method of two-dimensional viscoelasticity problems proposed in this paper, three numerical examples and one engineering example are given. The convergence of the method is analyzed by considering the effects of the scale parameters of influence domains and the node distribution on the computational precision of the solutions. It is shown that when d(max) = 1.01-2.00, the method in this paper has a good convergence. The numerical results from the IEFG method are compared with those from the EFG method and from the finite element method or analytical solution. We can see that the IEFG method in this paper is effective. The results of the examples show that the IEFG method has the advantage in improving the computational efficiency of the EFG method under a similar computational accuracy. And the engineering example shows that the IEFG method can not only has higher computational precision, but also improve the computational efficiency.