Transient wave envelope elements for wave problems

A novel family of infinite wave envelope elements is described which can be used in conjunction with conventional finite elements to model the transient wave equation in unbounded regions. The elements are obtained by applying an inverse Fourier transformation to a mapped wave envelope formulation in the frequency domain. The discrete transient equations obtained in this way can be applied to two-dimensional and three-dimensional problems without restriction, being valid over a full range of excitation frequencies. The effectiveness and accuracy of the method is demonstrated in application to simple test cases which involve the calculation of transient sound fields generated by pulsating spheres and cylinders excited from rest in an unbounded region. Test solutions are compared to analytic solutions and to finite element solutions obtained by using large computational grids which extend beyond the region influenced by the transient disturbance.