Interface element method: Treatment of non-matching nodes at the ends of interfaces between partitioned domains Original Research Article

A methodology for interface element method (IEM) to combine partitioned domains with non-matching nodes at the ends of interfaces is presented. The IEM is introduced to satisfy the continuity and the compatibility conditions on non-matching interfaces between partitioned finite element domains. Interface elements are defined on the finite elements bordering on the interfaces, and the moving least square (MLS) approximations are employed to construct the shape functions of the interface elements. By modifying the shape functions of the interface elements at the ends of non-matching interfaces, partitioned domains are glued such that all properties of the IEM are satisfied. The modifications are made to sub-domains and weight functions in the MLS approximations. The numerical examples show that the present IEM is very effective for the analysis of a partitioned system and for global–local analysis.