Author : Ch. Sridhar Reddy, Y.Rajashekhar Reddy and P.Srikanth

In this work, an attempt is made to use the B-spline basis functions as the shape functions in the finite element method. The linear B-Spline basis functions using two control points and an open uniform knot vector at a time are identical with the FEM shape functions. Hence, the open uniform linear basis functions can be used as a shape functions in the FEM. These basis functions are employed in the Galerkin’s approximation For the spatial discretization. Several test cases are considered to study the effectiveness of the present method. The results obtained by the present method are compared and found to be in good agreement with the analytical solution and the finite element method.

Keywords: B-Spline FEM, Isogeometric Method, Eigenvalue problem, Galerkin Method, Open Uniform Knot vector.