A Review on Vector Form Intrinsic Finite Element Method and Its Application

The vector form intrinsic finite element (VFIFE) method is a numerical analysis method based on the theory of vector mechanics. With the underlying concepts of point value description, path element and fictitious reverse motion, the numerical model is established for the mechanical behavior of the structure. In comparison with the traditional finite element (FE) methods, there is no assembling for the global stiffness matrices in VFIFE method. VFIFE method can effectively handle the complicated behavior analysis involving large deformation, large displacement, geometric and material non-linearity, contact and collision, fracture and collapse, buckling or wrinkling failure, etc. The differences in basic theory between traditional FE methods and VFIFE method are summarized before demonstrating the recent progress, development and applications in various fields and structures. Existing researches proved the strong capability and high accuracy of VFIFE method. Moreover, the application trends of VFIFE method are discussed, including dynamic behavior of large scale structures, cloud-based high-speed parallel computing, hybrid simulation, and digital twin technology.