A stabilised Total Lagrangian Element-Free Galerkin method for transient nonlinear solid dynamics

Abstract This paper presents a new stabilised Element-Free Galerkin (EFG) method tailored for large strain transient solid dynamics. The method employs a mixed formulation that combines the Total Lagrangian conservation laws for linear momentum with an additional set of geometric strain measures. The main aim of this paper is to adapt the well-established Streamline Upwind Petrov–Galerkin (SUPG) stabilisation methodology to the context of EFG, presenting three key contributions. Firstly, a variational consistent EFG computational framework is introduced, emphasising behaviours associated with nearly incompressible materials. Secondly, the suppression of non-physical numerical artefacts, such as zero-energy modes and locking, through a well-established stabilisation procedure. Thirdly, the stability of the SUPG formulation is demonstrated using the time rate of Hamiltonian of the system, ensuring non-negative entropy production throughout the entire simulation. To assess the stability, robustness and performance of the proposed algorithm, several benchmark examples in the context of isothermal hyperelasticity and large strain plasticity are examined. Results show that the proposed algorithm effectively addresses spurious modes, including hour-glassing and spurious pressure fluctuations commonly observed in classical displacement-based EFG frameworks.