An Algorithm for the Parallel Transient Finite Element Analysis of Structures

In the present work a parallel algorithm for the solution of general structural dynamic problems has been developed. This algorithm is referred to as the Iterative Group Implicit (IGI) algorithm. The IGI algorithm is an extension of the Group Implicit (GI) algorithm. In both methods the structure being analyzed is partitioned into subdomains and each subdomain is integrated independently and in parallel using any existing time-stepping solution algorithm. Also, in both methods the compatibility condition at the interface degrees of freedom is restored using a mass averaging rule. However, equilibrium at the interface degrees of freedom is not satisfied in the GI algorithm, while in the IGI an iterative procedure has been devised to recover equilibrium in these degrees of freedoms. The IGI method has the same algorithmic characteristics as the underlying solution method used to solve each subdomain. A numerical example has been developed to study the performance of the IGI algorithm. It is found that the present method is superior to the GI algorithm both in terms of accuracy and efficiency.