Domain/boundary decomposition method for finite element analyses with contact boundaries

This paper discusses a domain/boundary decomposition method for efficient finite element analyses of contact problems. The whole domain is regarded as a set of subdomains, an interface and contact interfaces. The penalty formulation is carried out to combine the interface or contact interfaces with the neighboring subdomains that satisfy continuity constraints As a result, non-linearity due to the contact boundaries can be localized in a few subdomains and/or contact interfaces, and the computational efficiency is greatly improved by adopting suitable solution algorithms. Numerical examples demonstrate these advantageous features of the proposed method.