A Penalty-Based Interface Technology for Coupling Independently Modeled Three-Dimensional Finite Element Meshes

An effective and robust 2D interface element able to connect independently modeled 3D finite element subdomains is presented. This method has been developed using a hybrid variational formulation with the penalty constraints. which leads to a computational approach that is very efficient. A significant effort has been directed toward developing an automatic calculation of the proper penalty parameter for each interface constraint. This paper extends the previous work on the 1D penalty-based interface element for connecting 2D meshes. A variety of 3D problems have been investigated to validate the formulation.