Author(s)

A.C. Neves & L.C. Wrobel

Abstract

Simplified ^-hierarchical interpolation functions for three-dimensional elasticity A.C. Neves & L.C. Wrobel Wessex Institute of Technology, University of Portsmouth, Ashurst Lodge, Ashurst, Southampton, SO40 7AA, UK 1 Introduction This paper presents a simplified family of /^-hierarchical shape functions for three-dimensional problems. Although self-adaptive boundary element formu- lations have lately been receiving a great deal of attention, very few papers deal with 3D problems. Crook [1] has developed an /^-adaptive boundary element scheme for 3D elastostatics without using hierarchical functions and, therefore, having to rebuild the influence matrices at each refinement step. The advantage of using hierarchical shape functions is to be able to re-use the matrices and the work spent on solving the final system of equations. Great care, however, has to be taken on numerical integration and book-keeping because of the nesting of the hierarchical functions into parent elements.

Keywords