The direct method of lines for the problem of infinite elastic foundation

We consider the numerical simulation for the problem of infinite elastic fo undation. A polygonal artificial boundary is introduced and a discrete arti ficial boundary condition on it is presented by using the direct method of lines. Then, the original problem is reduced to a boundary value problem on a bounded computational domain, which is solved by the finite element meth od. In addition, we prove an optimal a priori error bound for the displacem ent in the bounded computational domain. Finally, numerical example shows t hat the discrete artificial boundary condition given in this paper is very effective and more accurate than Neumann boundary condition which is often used in engineering literatures. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.