A hybrid boundary element/finite element method (BEM/FEM) in the time domain is presented and applied for solving dynamic inelastic soil-structure interaction problems under plain strain conditions. The FEM is used for the structure and a part of the surrounding soil, expected to become inelastic, while the BEM for the remaining far soil field expected to remain linear elastic. Thus, interior discretization is confined in the FEM region where material nonlinearities are developed, while a boundary discetization is only required for the far field BEM region which remains elastic. Besides, no artificial special boundaries are needed to enclose the BEM region and the radiation conditions at infinity are automatically satisfied. The two methods are coupled together at their interface through equilibrium and compatibility. The solution proceeds in a time marching fashion using an integration algorithm of the Newmark type in connection with iterations at every time step. Two numerical examples illustrate the proposed method and demonstrate its advantages.

purchase the full-text of this paper (price £20)

go to the previous paper
go to the next paper
return to the table of contents
return to the book description
purchase this book (price £60 +P&P)