Abstract
This paper describes an application of a multi-layer neural network to the local contact searching method for higher-order elements. Generally, contact searching process consists of two phases : a global searching phase for finding nearest node-segment pair and a local searching phase for finding exact local coordinates of the contact point in the segment found. In the present method, a neural network is utilized for finding local coordinates of the contact point. In this paper, the basic performance of the neuro-based local contact searching method for contact analyses with 10-node tetrahedral elements is tested through sample analyses.
