Trefftz-type FEM for solving orthotropic potential problems

Abstract

A simple Trefftz-type finite element method (TFEM) is proposed for solving certain potential problems in orthotropic media. The “body force”, which is induced by internal sources or sinks, may produce domain integrals in the standard Trefftz finite element formulation. This will make the advantage “only-boundary integration” of TFEM lose entirely. To overcome this difficulty, the dual reciprocity method (DRM) is employed to transfer the original problem into a homogeneous one. Then, a particular solution (PS) Trefftz-type finite element model is established based on the modified functional. Three benchmark examples are investigated by the proposed approach and compared with the analytical solutions.