Efficient Algorithms and Data Structures for Element-Free Galerkin Method

The element-free Galerkin method (EFG) has specific characteristics that require the usage of techniques and data structures in order to provide efficient calculation. This paper address two problems concerning the EFG implementation. The point location problem, which must find in which subdomain the integration point is located, and the influence domain problem, which must find the nearest nodes to build an influence domain and construct the shape functions. This work proposes the use of new data structures and algorithms in order to solve these problems, speeding up the method and providing a fast and correct influence domain construction. Index Terms—Data structures, element-free Galerkin, kd-tree, meshless, trapezoidal map. I