The efficiency of the p-version finite element method in a distributed computing environment

The p-version of the finite element method is now commonly considered to be a very accurate discretization method for linear elliptic partial differen tial equations, but many researchers still doubt the efficiency of this met hod, when compared to the classical h-version and applied to more complex p roblems. This paper will first discuss some general considerations about th e efficiency of a numerical method and then present results on an evaluatio n of the p-version. It will be shown, that there are many special technique s being applicable to the p-version, yielding a well-performing and robust method. This will be demonstrated on several examples, including non-linear problems and a parallel implementation on a workstation cluster. A client- server software structure for an efficient integration of CAD and FEA using a strict separation of geometric and non-geometric aspects will also be ou tlined. Copyright (C) 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.