Author(s)

L. Godinho, P. Amado-Mendes & A. Tadeu

Abstract

This paper presents a coupling strategy between the Method of Fundamental Solutions (MFS) and the Meshless-Local-Petrov-Galerkin (MLPG) for the analysis of soil-structure interaction problems in the frequency domain. In the proposed approach, the MFS is used to model the outer infinite (or semi-infinite) medium, correctly accounting for the far-field conditions in the soil, while the MLPG is used to simulate the elastodynamic behavior of an embedded solid structure. The MLPG formulation used here is based on the construction of shape functions using the MQ RBF (Multi Quadric Radial Basis Functions); in addition, the test function used to establish the nodal equations is the Heaviside function, leading to the so-called MLPG-5 approach. A direct coupling is considered between the MFS and the MLPG, which implies the construction of a system matrix which accounts for the full coupling effects; in the proposed coupling approach, the possible use of different node distributions along the boundary for the two methods is accounted for, thus rendering the model flexible in allowing different discretization requirements for the soil and for the structure. The algorithm is here applied to 2D problems, and its behavior in terms of convergence and accuracy is analyzed, by comparing its results with those provided by reference solutions. An application example is also presented to illustrate the potential of the proposed approach. Keywords: MFS, MLPG, coupling numerical methods, frequency domain.

Keywords

MFS, MLPG, coupling numerical methods, frequency domain