Stress analysis without meshing: Isogeometric boundary-element method

The focus of this paper is the description and numerical validation of a computational method where stress analysis can be performed directly from computer-aided design data without mesh generation. The clear benefit of the approach is that no mesh needs to be generated prior to running the analysis. This is achieved by utilising the isogeometric concept whereby computer-aided design data are used to construct not only the geometry discretisation but also the displacement and traction approximations. In this manner, significant savings can be made in the engineering design and analysis process. This paper also demonstrates that, compared with a standard boundary-element method implementation using quadratic Lagrangian shape functions, superior accuracy is achieved using the present approach for the same number of degrees of freedom. It further illustrates practical applications of the method, comparing against results obtained with a standard boundary-element method and finite-element method for verification. In addition, a propeller is analysed as a sample to show the ability of the present method to handle complex three-dimensional geometries.