The Virtual Element Method for Engineers

O'Hare, T.J.; Augarde, C.E.

Abstract

The virtual element method (VEM) is a relatively new technique, similar to the finite element method (FEM), but having no restriction on the number of element sides. This has numerous advantages, particularly regarding greater meshing flexibility, however the VEM literature is generally very mathematically advanced in presentation, making it difficult to understand the method from an engineering perspective. In an attempt to address this, here we demonstrate the process for constructing the stiffness matrix for a single virtual element, sacrificing a degree of rigour and focusing only on the lowest-order (linear) VEM for plane linear elasticity. By highlighting the method’s links to the FEM during the explanation, it is hoped that the formulation presented here improves accessibility to engineers.

Citation

O'Hare, T., & Augarde, C. (2022, April). The Virtual Element Method for Engineers. Paper presented at UKACM 2022, Nottingham, England

• Presentation Conference Type: Conference Paper (unpublished)
• Conference Name: UKACM 2022
• Start Date: Apr 20, 2022
• End Date: Apr 22, 2022
• Deposit Date: Mar 22, 2022
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1136799
• Publisher URL: https://sites.google.com/view/ukacm2022/conference-programme