Scaled boundary finite element method with circular defining curve for geo-mechanics applications

This paper presents an efficient and accurate numerical technique based upon the scaled boundary finite element method for the analysis of two-dimensional, linear, second-order, boundary value problems with the domain completely described by a circular defining curve. The scaled boundary finite element formulation is established in a general framework allowing single-field and multi-field problems, bounded and unbounded bodies, distributed body source, and general boundary conditions to be treated in a unified fashion. The conventional polar coordinates together with a properly selected scaling center are utilized to achieve the exact description of the circular defining curve, exact geometry of the domain, and exact spatial differential operators. The computational performance of the implemented procedure is then fully investigated for various scenarios within the context of geo-mechanics applications. Keywords: exact geometry; geo-mechanics; multi-field problems; SBFEM; scaled boundary coordinates.