In this work, the iterative coupling of finite element and boundary element methods for the investigation of coupled fluid-fluid, solid-solid and fluid-solid wave propagation models is reviewed. In order to perform the coupling of the two numerical me...
In this work, the iterative coupling of finite element and boundary element methods for the investigation of coupled fluid-fluid, solid-solid and fluid-solid wave propagation models is reviewed. In order to perform the coupling of the two numerical methods, a successive renewal of the variables on the common interface between the two sub-domains is performed through an iterative procedure until convergence is achieved. In the case of local nonlinearities within the finite element sub-domain, it is straightforward to perform the iterative coupling together with the iterations needed to solve the nonlinear system. In particular, a more efficient and stable performance of the coupling procedure is achieved by a special formulation that allows to use different time steps in each sub-domain. Optimized relaxation parameters are also considered in the analyses, in order to speed up and/or to ensure the convergence of the iterative process.