AN INCREMENTAL ELASTIC-PLASTIC FINITE-ELEMENT SOLVER IN A WORKSTATIONCLUSTER ENVIRONMENT .1. FORMULATIONS AND PARALLEL-PROCESSING

We discuss solution schemes for the incremental elastic-plastic struct ural problem, discretized by means of the Finite Element method. Atten tion is focused on their formulation and implementation in a parallel computing environment defined by a cluster of workstations connected b y means of a network. The availability of parallel computers allows on e to consider possible formulations and solution strategies so far not considered competitive with the classical Newton-like schemes implyin g the definition of an elastic-plastic tangent stiffness matrix. The s olution strategies herein considered are based on the explicit integra tion of the actual elastic-plastic rate problem. This, in turn, is phr ased in terms of two different formulations, whose relative advantages -particularly with respect to their integration in parallel-are discus sed. A u - lambda (displacement increment and plastic multiplier) form ulation of the structural rate theory of plasticity [1], integrated by means of an explicit, element-by-element scheme, seems to be the most promising one.