2015 Volume 63 Pages 55-65
The performance of the selective smoothed finite element methods (selective S-FEMs) using 4-node tetrahedral (T4) elements with deviatoric/hydrostatic split is evaluated. The selective SFEMs discussed in this study are called FS/NS-FEM-T4 and ES/NS-FEM-T4 for short, which are known as locking-free formulations with no increase in the degrees of freedom. This study reveals that both the selective S-FEMs have three major issues: limitation of material constitutive model to handle; pressure oscillation in case of nearly incompressible material; and corner locking, through some examples of analysis. At the same time, the examples imply that the performance of the selective S-FEMs is comparable to an advanced hybrid T4 finite element formulation in the majority of practical problems.
