FINITE-ELEMENT APPLICATIONS TO THE NONLINEAR MECHANICS OF SOLIDS

The paper discusses some of the relevant computational advances which permit the simulation of large-scale problems involving nonlinear soli ds within realistic time frames and computational resources, The need for rigorous consideration of both theoretical and algorithmic issues is emphasized, particularly in relation to the computational treatment of finite-strain elasto-plastic (viscoplastic) deformation, the model ling of frictional contact conditions and element technology capable o f dealing with material incompressibility. Practically important aspec ts such as adaptive mesh refinement procedures are discussed and atten tion is given to choice of appropriate error estimators for elasto-pla stic materials and the transfer of solution parameters between success ive meshes. The role of explicit solution techniques in the simulation of large-scale nonlinear problems is also discussed. The concept of d iscrete elements is briefly described and their applications to a wide range of solid mechanics problems illustrated. Some advances in the f ield of iterative equation solution methods are reviewed and their pot ential advantages in the simulation of large-scale nonlinear solid mec hanics problems are demonstrated.