ABSTRACT
We review our efforts to arrive at a finite element scheme in which the elements can overlap. This property of the elements removes many of the meshing difficulties. The scheme we have been working on for some years to render competitive is the ‘method of finite spheres’ (where the elements overlap) but the same concepts can also be used for other types of element geometries. We review our latest results in static and dynamic analyses using the method of finite spheres, and propose a general scheme for using overlapping finite elements with traditional finite elements for CAD driven simulations.
