Un método de acople para mef - mec para análisis de interacción suelo - estructura

the finite element method and the boundary element method are the most used numerical tools for solid mechanics analysis. each one of these methods has advantages and drawbacks in different cases. fem is well suited for finite domains with inhomogeneous materials and non linear behaviour while bem offers advantages when dealing with infinite domains displaying homogeneous materials and linear behaviour. an iterative coupling of the finite element method and the boundary element method is presented. the domain of the problem is divided in two subdomains, where each subdomain is analyzed separately and only the interface information is exchanged between both subdomains. the assembly and solution of a general equation system is avoided, thus obtaining full advantage of the matrices characteristics, since the system of equations is symmetric in fem. numerical results compare well with other available numerical results.