A node-based agglomeration AMG solver for linear elasticity in thin bodies

This paper describes the development of an efficient and accurate algebraic multigrid finite element solver for analysis of linear elasticity problems in two dimensional thin body elasticity. Such problems are commonly encountered during analysis of thin film devices in micro-electro-mechanical systems. An algebraic multigrid based on element interpolation is adopted and streamlined for the development of the proposed solver. A new, node-based agglomeration scheme is proposed for computationally efficient, aggressive and yet effective generation of coarse grids. It is demonstrated that use of appropriate finite-element discretization along with the proposed algebraic multigrid process preserves the rigid body modes that are essential for good convergence of the multigrid solution. Several case studies are taken up to validate the approach. The proposed node-based agglomeration scheme is shown to lead to development of sparse and efficient intergrid transfer operators making the overall multigrid solution process very efficient. The proposed solver is found to work very well even for Poisson’s ratio > 0.4. Finally, an application of the proposed solver is demonstrated through a simulation of a micro-electro-mechanical switch. Copyright c © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.