Investigation of the Numerical Method of Finite Elements for Digital Computer Determination of Green's Functions.

Abstract

The feasibility of using the numerical method of finite elements for digital computer determinations of Green's functions was investigated in this thesis. A study of Poisson's equation, the Helmholtz equation, and the diffusion equation in one and two dimensions was conducted using the CDC 6600 computer. Both Dirichlet and mixed boundary conditions were considered. The Green's functions numerically determined by the finite element method were compared with those found by the analytical method and the finite difference method for accuracy. The numerical and analytical Green's functions were also used in the solution of several boundary value problems, and the accuracy of the results were compared. The results of the study indicated that although for Poisson's equation, the finite element method produced the same results as the finite difference method, the finite element method was more time consuming. For the Helmholtz and diffusion equations, the finite element method again required more computations, but in most cases gave greater accuracy.

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 01, 1975
Accession Number
ADA021000

Entities

People

  • John W. Rice Jr

Organizations

  • Air Force Institute of Technology

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Accuracy
  • Boundaries
  • Boundary Value Problems
  • Computations
  • Computers
  • Differential Equations
  • Diffusion
  • Digital Computers
  • Equations
  • Finite Element Analysis
  • Helmholtz Equations
  • Mathematical Analysis

Readers

  • Calculus or Mathematical Analysis
  • Computational Modeling and Simulation