Coupling of Finite Element and Meshfree Method for Structure Mechanics Application: A Review

In many engineering problems, the meshfree methods (MMs) have been dynamically projected and increasingly advanced in order to overwhelm some hitches in the predictable numerical methods. Over the past three decades in many different application area, MMs have found their way ranging from solid mechanics analysis, fluid problems, vibration analysis, heat transfer and optimization to numerical solutions of all kinds of (partial) differential equations. As every technique has shortcomings, the meshfree method also has drawbacks like higher computational cost and imposition of boundary condition which can be overruled by coupling it with the finite element method (FEM). In the past two decades, coupled MMs and FEM have appeared into a new session of computational methods with significant achievement. In addition, a noteworthy amount of growth has been made in addressing the major deficiencies that were present in the conventional methods and MMs at the premature phases. The objective of the present work is to provide a comprehensive review of various coupling techniques used for interface elements of MMs and FEM and general discussion on shape function formulation of FE and element free Galerkin method (EFGM). Key contribution of coupling techniques for coupled EFGM and FEM to structure mechanics application as primary concern.