Simulation of Guided Waves in Cylinders Subject to Arbitrary Boundary Conditions Using the Scaled Boundary Finite Element Method

Abstract

The scaled boundary finite element method (SBFEM) excels as a tool for numerical analysis at particular problem setups where the analytical solution in the scaling direction can be exploited to improve computational efficiency by reducing the number of required degrees of freedom (DOF). This is especially the case for simulating axisymmetric waveguides in the high-frequency range, allowing a significant decrease of computational costs (both memory and CPU time). Then, only the radial direction in a cylindrical coordinate system is discretized and the axial direction is solved analytically. A full threedimensional formulation is possible via the Fourier transform to include asymmetries. This contribution presents such an axisymmetric formulation, which is extended to allow the definition of circumferential as well as arbitrarily shaped dynamic boundary conditions (BCs). Furthermore, the required number of DOF depends on the frequency content. Hierarchical shape functions allow to dynamically adapt the DOF, further increasing efficiency. It will be shown that the results are in good agreement with standard finite element procedures, while greatly reducing computational time.

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