A novel class of highly efficient and accurate time-integrators in nonlinear computational mechanics

A new class of time-integrators is presented for strongly nonlinear dynamical systems. These algorithms are far superior to the currently common time integrators in computational efficiency and accuracy. These three algorithms are based on a local variational iteration method applied over a finite interval of time. By using Chebyshev polynomials as trial functions andDirac–Delta functions as the test functions over the finite time interval, the three algorithms are developed into three different discrete time-integrators through the collocation method. These time integrators are labeled as Chebyshev local iterative collocation methods. Through examples of the forced Duffing oscillator, the Lorenz system, and the multiple coupled Duffing equations (which arise as semi-discrete equations for beams, plates and shells undergoing large deformations), it is shown that the new algorithms are far superior to the 4th order Runge–Kutta and ODE45 of MATLAB, in predicting the chaotic responses of strongly nonlinear dynamical systems.