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1 – 10 of 92
Article
Publication date: 7 August 2017

Qiao Wang, Wei Zhou, Yonggang Cheng, Gang Ma and Xiaolin Chang

Domain integrals, known as volume potentials in 3D elasticity problems, exist in many boundary-type methods, such as the boundary element method (BEM) for inhomogeneous partial…

Abstract

Purpose

Domain integrals, known as volume potentials in 3D elasticity problems, exist in many boundary-type methods, such as the boundary element method (BEM) for inhomogeneous partial differential equations. The purpose of this paper is to develop an accurate and reliable technique to effectively evaluate the volume potentials in 3D elasticity problems.

Design/methodology/approach

An adaptive background cell-based domain integration method is proposed for treatment of volume potentials in 3D elasticity problems. The background cells are constructed from the information of the boundary elements based on an oct-tree structure, and the domain integrals are evaluated over the cells rather than volume elements. The cells that contain the boundary elements can be subdivided into smaller sub-cells adaptively according to the sizes and levels of the boundary elements. The fast multipole method (FMM) is further applied in the proposed method to reduce the time complexity of large-scale computation.

Findings

The method is a boundary-only discretization method, and it can be applied in the BEM easily. Much computational time is saved by coupling with the FMM. Numerical examples demonstrate the accuracy and efficiency of the proposed method..

Originality/value

Boundary elements are used to create adaptive background cells, and domain integrals are evaluated over the cells rather than volume elements. Large-scale computation is made possible by coupling with the FMM.

Details

Engineering Computations, vol. 34 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0264-4401

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 28 August 2023

Biao Liu, Qiao Wang, Y.T. Feng, Zongliang Zhang, Quanshui Huang, Wenxiang Tian and Wei Zhou

3D steady heat conduction analysis considering heat source is conducted on the fundamental of the fast multipole method (FMM)-accelerated line integration boundary element method

Abstract

Purpose

3D steady heat conduction analysis considering heat source is conducted on the fundamental of the fast multipole method (FMM)-accelerated line integration boundary element method (LIBEM).

Design/methodology/approach

Due to considering the heat source, domain integral is generated in the traditional heat conduction boundary integral equation (BIE), which will counteract the well-known merit of the BEM, namely, boundary-only discretization. To avoid volume discretization, the enhanced BEM, the LIBEM with dimension reduction property is introduced to transfer the domain integral into line integrals. Besides, owing to the unsatisfactory performance of the LIBEM when it comes to large-scale structures requiring massive computation, the FMM-accelerated LIBEM (FM-LIBEM) is proposed to improve the computation efficiency further.

Findings

Assuming N and M are the numbers of nodes and integral lines, respectively, the FM-LIBEM can reduce the time complexity from O(NM) to about O(N+ M), and a full discussion and verification of the advantage are done based on numerical examples under heat conduction.

Originality/value

(1) The LIBEM is applied to 3D heat conduction analysis with heat source. (2) The domain integrals can be transformed into boundary integrals with straight line integrals by the LIM. (3) A FM-LIBEM is proposed and can reduce the time complexity from O(NM) to O(N+ M). (4) The FM-LIBEM with high computational efficiency is exerted to solve 3D heat conduction analysis with heat source in massive computation successfully.

Details

Engineering Computations, vol. 40 no. 7/8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0264-4401

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 21 January 2019

Shashank Vadlamani and Arun C.O.

The purpose of this paper is to discuss about evaluating the integrals involving B-spline wavelet on the interval (BSWI), in wavelet finite element formulations, using Gauss…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to discuss about evaluating the integrals involving B-spline wavelet on the interval (BSWI), in wavelet finite element formulations, using Gauss Quadrature.

Design/methodology/approach

In the proposed scheme, background cells are placed over each BSWI element and Gauss quadrature rule is defined for each of these cells. The nodal discretization used for BSWI WFEM element is independent to the selection of number of background cells used for the integration process. During the analysis, background cells of various lengths are used for evaluating the integrals for various combination of order and resolution of BSWI scaling functions. Numerical examples based on one-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) plane elasto-statics are solved. Problems on beams based on Euler Bernoulli and Timoshenko beam theory under different boundary conditions are also examined. The condition number and sparseness of the formulated stiffness matrices are analyzed.

Findings

It is found that to form a well-conditioned stiffness matrix, the support domain of every wavelet scaling function should possess sufficient number of integration points. The results are analyzed and validated against the existing analytical solutions. Numerical examples demonstrate that the accuracy of displacements and stresses is dependent on the size of the background cell and number of Gauss points considered per background cell during the analysis.

Originality/value

The current paper gives the details on implementation of Gauss Quadrature scheme, using a background cell-based approach, for evaluating the integrals involved in BSWI-based wavelet finite element method, which is missing in the existing literature.

Article
Publication date: 5 June 2017

Yijun Liu, Guiyong Zhang, Huan Lu and Zhi Zong

Due to the strong reliance on element quality, there exist some inherent shortcomings of the traditional finite element method (FEM). The model of FEM behaves overly stiff, and…

Abstract

Purpose

Due to the strong reliance on element quality, there exist some inherent shortcomings of the traditional finite element method (FEM). The model of FEM behaves overly stiff, and the solutions of automated generated linear elements are generally of poor accuracy about especially gradient results. The proposed cell-based smoothed point interpolation method (CS-PIM) aims to improve the results accuracy of the thermoelastic problems via properly softening the overly-stiff stiffness.

Design/methodology/approach

This novel approach is based on the newly developed G space and weakened weak (w2) formulation, and of which shape functions are created using the point interpolation method and the cell-based gradient smoothing operation is conducted based on the linear triangular background cells.

Findings

Owing to the property of softened stiffness, the present method can generally achieve better accuracy and higher convergence results (especially for the temperature gradient and thermal stress solutions) than the FEM does by using the simplest linear triangular background cells, which has been examined by extensive numerical studies.

Practical implications

The CS-PIM is capable of producing more accurate results of temperature gradients as well as thermal stresses with the automated generated and unstructured background cells, which make it a better candidate for solving practical thermoelastic problems.

Originality/value

It is the first time that the novel CS-PIM was further developed for solving thermoelastic problems, which shows its tremendous potential for practical implications.

Details

International Journal of Numerical Methods for Heat & Fluid Flow, vol. 27 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0961-5539

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 13 March 2007

K. Han, Y.T. Feng and D.R.J. Owen

The main purpose of this paper is to compare the performance of three commonly used global search algorithms, namely tree‐based augmented spatial digital tree, cell‐based no…

Abstract

Purpose

The main purpose of this paper is to compare the performance of three commonly used global search algorithms, namely tree‐based augmented spatial digital tree, cell‐based no binary search and D‐cell, in the discrete element simulations.

Design/methodology/approach

A large number of test cases with up to five million particles/discrete objects are employed to numerically examine the computational costs of the three search algorithms and their performance is compared.

Findings

Comprehensive comparisons reveal that the D‐cell is more efficient than the tree‐based search algorithms for large‐scale problems. The parametric study of the D‐cell algorithm itself shows that the performance of the algorithm is strongly dependent on the cell dimension chosen.

Research limitations/implications

The only limitation of the current work is that the tested domain shape is regular, and thus more complex domain shapes may need to be considered.

Originality/value

The paper provides clear guidance regarding the possible actual computational performance of the tested search algorithms for practical applications.

Details

Engineering Computations, vol. 24 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0264-4401

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 13 June 2019

Samia Ben Amarat and Peng Zong

This paper aims to present a comprehensive review in major research areas of unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) navigation, i.e. three degree-of-freedom (3D) path planning, routing…

1087

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to present a comprehensive review in major research areas of unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) navigation, i.e. three degree-of-freedom (3D) path planning, routing algorithm and routing protocols. The paper is further aimed to provide a meaningful comparison among these algorithms and methods and also intend to find the best ones for a particular application.

Design/methodology/approach

The major UAV navigation research areas are further classified into different categories based on methods and models. Each category is discussed in detail with updated research work done in that very domain. Performance evaluation criteria are defined separately for each category. Based on these criteria and research challenges, research questions are also proposed in this work and answered in discussion according to the presented literature review.

Findings

The research has found that conventional and node-based algorithms are a popular choice for path planning. Similarly, the graph-based methods are preferred for route planning and hybrid routing protocols are proved better in providing performance. The research has also found promising areas for future research directions, i.e. critical link method for UAV path planning and queuing theory as a routing algorithm for large UAV networks.

Originality/value

The proposed work is a first attempt to provide a comprehensive study on all research aspects of UAV navigation. In addition, a comparison of these methods, algorithms and techniques based on standard performance criteria is also presented the very first time.

Details

Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, vol. 91 no. 9
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1748-8842

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 July 2001

Janet Efstathiou and Peter Golby

Manufacturing facilities may simplify their operations by converting from a process‐based layout to manufacturing cells. Mathematically, many possible configurations of cells…

Abstract

Manufacturing facilities may simplify their operations by converting from a process‐based layout to manufacturing cells. Mathematically, many possible configurations of cells exist, so it may prove computationally infeasible to analyse them all. Also, some current methods of cell design do not take account of the pattern of demand of the existing products or the sequence of the operations that are performed on the products. Presents a simple method of designing manufacturing cells, which uses product demand and operations sequence to design feasible cells, while remaining computationally simple. The method uses a standard spreadsheet tool, so is accessible to a wide range of manufacturing facilities. The method is illustrated with an actual application to a press shop manufacturing over 200 products on 20 presses.

Details

Integrated Manufacturing Systems, vol. 12 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0957-6061

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 4 July 2023

Jiayu Qin, Nengxiong Xu and Gang Mei

In this paper, the smoothed point interpolation method (SPIM) is used to model the slope deformation. However, the computational efficiency of SPIM is not satisfying when modeling…

Abstract

Purpose

In this paper, the smoothed point interpolation method (SPIM) is used to model the slope deformation. However, the computational efficiency of SPIM is not satisfying when modeling the large-scale nonlinear deformation problems of geological bodies.

Design/methodology/approach

In this paper, the SPIM is used to model the slope deformation. However, the computational efficiency of SPIM is not satisfying when modeling the large-scale nonlinear deformation problems of geological bodies.

Findings

A simple slope model with different mesh sizes is used to verify the performance of the efficient face-based SPIM. The first accelerating strategy greatly enhances the computational efficiency of solving the large-scale slope deformation. The second accelerating strategy effectively improves the convergence of nonlinear behavior that occurred in the slope deformation.

Originality/value

The designed efficient face-based SPIM can enhance the computational efficiency when analyzing large-scale nonlinear slope deformation problems, which can help to predict and prevent potential geological hazards.

Details

Engineering Computations, vol. 40 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0264-4401

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 24 November 2021

Mingyang Liu, Guangjun Gao, Huifen Zhu and Chen Jiang

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the feasibility of solving turbulent flows based on smoothed finite element method (S-FEM). Then, the differences between S-FEM and…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the feasibility of solving turbulent flows based on smoothed finite element method (S-FEM). Then, the differences between S-FEM and finite element method (FEM) in dealing with turbulent flows are compared.

Design/methodology/approach

The stabilization scheme, the streamline-upwind/Petrov-Galerkin stabilization is coupled with stabilized pressure gradient projection in the fractional step framework. The Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations with standard k-epsilon model are selected to solve turbulent flows based on S-FEM and FEM. Standard wall functions are applied to predict boundary layer profiles.

Findings

This paper explores a completely new application of S-FEM on turbulent flows. The adopted stabilization scheme presents a good performance on stabilizing the flows, especially for very high Reynolds numbers flows. An advantage of S-FEM is found in applying wall functions comparing with FEM. The differences between S-FEM and FEM have been investigated.

Research limitations/implications

The research in this work is limited to the two-dimensional incompressible turbulent flow.

Practical implications

The verification and validation of a new combination are conducted by several numerical examples. The new combination could be used to deal with more complicated turbulent flows.

Social implications

The applications of the new combination to study basic and complex turbulent flow are also presented, which demonstrates its potential to solve more turbulent flows in nature and engineering.

Originality/value

This work carries out a great extension of S-FEM in simulations of fluid dynamics. The new combination is verified to be very effective in handling turbulent flows. The performances of S-FEM and FEM on turbulent flows were analyzed by several numerical examples. Superior results were found compared with existing results and experiments. Meanwhile, S-FEM has an advantage of accuracy in predicting boundary layer profile.

Details

International Journal of Numerical Methods for Heat & Fluid Flow, vol. 32 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0961-5539

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 September 2007

Wannapa Kay Mahamaneerat, Chi‐Ren Shyu, Shih‐Chun Ho and C. Alec Chang

The purpose of this paper is to provide a novel domain‐concept association rules (DCAR) mining algorithm that offers solutions to complex cell formation problems, which consist of…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide a novel domain‐concept association rules (DCAR) mining algorithm that offers solutions to complex cell formation problems, which consist of a non‐binary machine‐component (MC) matrix and production factors for fast and accurate decision support.

Design/methodology/approach

The DCAR algorithm first identifies the domain‐concept from the demand history and then performs association rule mining to find associations among machines. After that, the algorithm forms machine‐cells with a series of inclusion and exclusion processes to minimize inter‐cell material movement and intra‐cell void element costs as well as to maximize the grouping efficacy with the constraints of bill of material (BOM) and the maximum number of machines allowed for each cell.

Findings

The DCAR algorithm delivers either comparable or better results than the existing approaches using known binary datasets. The paper demonstrates that the DCAR can obtain satisfying machine‐cells with production costs when extra parameters are needed.

Research limitations/implications

The DCAR algorithm adapts the idea of the sequential forward floating selection (SFFS) to iteratively evaluate and arrange machine‐cells until the result is stabilized. The SFFS is an improvement over a greedy version of the algorithm, but can only ensure sub‐optimal solutions. Practical implications – The DCAR algorithm considers a wide range of production parameters, which make the algorithm suitable to the real‐world manufacturing system settings.

Originality/value

The proposed DCAR algorithm is unlike other array‐based algorithms. It can group non‐binary MC matrix with considerations of real‐world factors including product demand, BOM, costs, and maximum number of machines allowed for each cell.

Details

Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, vol. 18 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1741-038X

Keywords

1 – 10 of 92