NURBS-Enhanced Finite Element Method (NEFEM)

Author (s): Sevilla, R., Fernandez-Mendez, S., Huerta, A.
Journal: International Journal for Numerical Methods in Engineering

Volume: 76, Issue 1
Pages: 56 – 83
Date: 2008

Abstract:
An improvement of the classical finite element method is proposed. It is able to exactly represent the geometry by means of the usual CAD description of the boundary with Non-Uniform Rational B-Splines (NURBS). Here, the two-dimensional case is presented. For elements not intersecting the boundary, a standard finite element (FE) interpolation and numerical integration is used. But elements intersecting the NURBS boundary need a specifically designed piecewise polynomial interpolation and numerical integration. A priori error estimates are also presented. Finally, some examples demonstrate
the applicability and benefits of the proposed methodology. NEFEM is at least one order of magnitude more precise than the corresponding isoparametric FE in every numerical example shown. This is the case for both continuous and discontinuous Galerkin formulations. Moreover, for a desired precision NEFEM is also more computational efficient, as shown in the numerical examples. The use of NEFEM is strongly recommended in the presence of curved boundaries and/or when the boundary of the domain has complex geometric details. The possibility of computing accurate solution with coarse meshes and high order interpolations, makes NEFEM a more eficient strategy than classical isoparametric FE.

Journal paper (from the publisher)  
UPCommons page Link  

Bibtex:

@article{RSC-SFH:08,
  Author   = {Sevilla, Ruben and Fern{{\'a}}ndez-M{{\'e}}ndez, Sonia and Huerta, Antonio},
  Title    = {N{URBS}-enhanced finite element method ({NEFEM})},
  Fjournal = {International Journal for Numerical Methods in Engineering},
  Journal  = {0029-5981},
  Volume   = {76},
  Number   = {1},
  Pages    = {56--83},
  Year     = {2008},
  Doi      = {10.1002/nme.2311},
  Url      = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/nme.2311}}