NEW B-SPLINE FINITE-ELEMENT APPROACH FOR GEOMETRICAL DESIGN AND MECHANICAL ANALYSIS

In most existing CAD systems, geometrical design and mechanical analys is are operated as completely separate modules. Intensive interaction between these modules is, however, highly desired due to the iterative nature of a typical product development process. Formulating a new, u nified approach to design and analysis that provides a high level of i nteraction is the main purpose of this research. The idea is to integr ate a mechanically based geometrical design concept with the mechanica l analysis module in a uniform B-Spline Finite Element (BSFE) environm ent. In this paper, the BSFE method is formulated and its validity and adequacy are verified for elastic linear rod and plate models. In par ticular, the feasibility of applying B-spline functions as base functi ons of the finite element method for design and analysis is demonstrat ed. Unique scheme attributes based on intrinsic properties of B-spline functions are investigated in detail. Method adequacy is demonstrated by comparing convergence characteristics, complexity and computationa l cost to the spectral element method. (C) 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd .