The construction of 1D wavelet finite elements for structural analysis

Adopting the scaling functions of B-spline wavelet on the interval (BSWI) as trial functions, a new finite element method (FEM) of BSWI is presented. Instead of traditional polynomial interpolation, scaling functions at the certain scale have been adopted to form the shape functions and construct wavelet-based elements. Unlike the process of wavelets added directly in the other wavelet numerical methods, the element displacement field represented by the coefficients of wavelets expansions is transformed from wavelet space to physical space via the corresponding transformation matrix. The transformation matrix is the key to construct wavelet-based elements freely as long as we can ensure its non-singularity. Then, classes of C₀ and C₁ type elements are constructed. And the lifting scheme of BSWI elements is also discussed. The numerical examples indicate that the BSWI elements have higher efficiency and precision than traditional finite element method in solving 1D structural problems especially for geometric nonlinear, variable cross-section and loading cases.