Abstract
The finite element method (FEM) is an effective technique in the numerical analysis for solving partial differential equations. However, since the mesh subdivision has become a very burdensome process, applications of meshless or element-free methods, which require only nodal data, are desired to the analysis systems. In this paper, an overview of the newly developed element-free analysis prototype system, intended for the elasticity problems in two dimensions, and some of its tools are given. Since the system is based on the element-free Galerkin method (EFGM), which is a kind of meshless method, grid and mesh partitioning is totally unnecessary. A tool to create and record the nodal data, which will be introduced later in the passage, is something unique to this system. In order to simplify the tasks necessary to run an analysis, the authors created a paintbrush tool for the prototype system on the Apple Macintosh to “draw” or “paint” such data onto the defined domain.
