An object-oriented programming of an explicit dynamics code: application to impact simulation

During the last fifty years, the development of better numerical methods and more powerful computers has been a major enterprise for the scientific community. Recent advances in computational softwares have lead to the possibility of solving more physical and complex problems (coupled problems, nonlinearities, high strain and high strain rate problems, etc.). The development of object-oriented programming leads to better structured codes for the finite element method and facilitates the development, the maintainability and the expandability of such codes. This paper presents an implementation in C++ of an explicit finite element program dedicated to the simulation of impacts. We first present a brief overview of the kinematics, the conservative and constitutive laws related to large deformation inelasticity. Then we present the design and the numerical implementation of some aspects developed with an emphasis on the object-oriented programming adopted. Finally, the efficiency and accuracy of the program are investigated through some benchmark tests.