On the use of the exponential window method in the space domain

Abstract

Wave propagation in unbounded media is a topic widely studied in different science and engineering fields. Global and local absorbing boundary conditions combined with the finite element method or the finite difference method are the usual numerical treatments. In this dissertation, an alternative is investigated based on the dynamic stiffness and the exponential window method in the space-wave number domain. Applying the exponential window in the space-wave number domain is equivalent to introducing fictitious damping into the system. The Discrete Fourier Transform employed in the dynamic stiffness can be properly performed in a damped system. An open boundary in space is thus created. Since the equation is solved by the finite difference formula in the time domain, this approach is in the time-wave number domain, which provides a complement for the original dynamic stiffness method, which is in the frequency-wave number domain. The approach is tested through different elasto-dynamic models that cover one-, two- and three-dimensional problems. The results from the proposed approach are compared with those from either analytical solutions or the finite element method. The comparison demonstrates the effectiveness of the approach. The incident waves can be efficiently absorbed regardless of incident angles and frequency contents. The approach proposed in this dissertation can be widely applied to the dynamics of railways, dams, tunnels, building and machine foundations, layered soil and composite materials.