Parallel finite element computation of contact-impact problems with large deformations

F. Cirak, M. West, S. Maucha, and R. Radovitzky

in Computational Fluid and Solid Mechanics 2003, 197-199, Elsevier, ISBN: 978-0-08-044046-0, 2003.

This chapter presents a framework for the parallel explicit dynamics simulation of frictional contact-impact problems involving shells and solids on distributed memory architectures. Contact detection is performed in parallel with orthogonal range queries based on a sparse bucket data structure. The size and complexity of problems, which can be tackled in a parallel computing environment, require particularly robust and efficient contact algorithms. A common approach for deriving contact enforcement methods, such as the penalty or the Lagrangian multiplier method, is to start on the continuum level and to discretize the nonsmooth differential equations. This approach leads to the well-known robustness problems, including the nonuniqueness of the normal and nonsmoothness of the discretized contact surfaces.

DOI: 10.1016/B978-008044046-0.50049-X

Full text: CiWeMaRa2003.pdf