A SEM/FEM weak coupling for a more accurate definition of seismic input excitation in soil-structure interaction studies: An adaptation for a massively parallel FEM resolution

Abstract

Abstract Numerical simulation of source-to-structure wave propagation consists of a challenging and demanding task in terms of computational capabilities and resources. Some difficulties related to the multi-scale character of the numerical problem can be alleviated using a spectral element (SEM) and finite element (FEM) weak coupling, such as the one described and verified in this study. In addition, the adaptation of the FEM resolution in a domain decomposition framework is developed allowing to utilize iterative solvers and ensure the scalability of the numerical solution in a High-Performance Computing (HPC) framework more efficiently. Comparisons with solutions adopting a direct parallel solver allow to demonstrate the important acceleration of the computation chain.