Finite Element Formulations for Axisymmetric Solids: A New Approach Based on the Petrov-Galerkin Method

Abstract

The sensitivity of conventional finite element formulations to distorted meshes is a well-known problem. In this work, it is investigated whether an 8-node Petrov-Galerkin finite element formulation can reduce this mesh-sensitive behavior when simulating linear-elastic axisymmetric problems. The numerical investigations show that the Petrov-Galerkin formulation exhibits significantly better behavior than the Bubnov-Galerkin formulation in certain cases. However, the results also indicate that this is not generally the case.

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