Reproducing Kernel Element Method for Galerkin Solution of Elastostatic Problems

The Reproducing Kernel Element Method (RKEM) is a relatively new technique developed to have two distinguished features: arbitrary high order smoothness and arbitrary interpolation order of the shape functions. This paper provides a tutorial on the derivation and computational implementation of RKEM for Galerkin discretizations of linear elastostatic problems for one and two dimensional space. A key characteristic of RKEM is that it do not require mid-side nodes in the elements to increase the interpolatory power of its shape functions, and contrary to meshless methods, the same mesh used to construct the shape functions is used for integration of the stiffness matrix. Furthermore, some issues about the quadrature used for integration arediscussed in this paper. Its hopes that this may attracts the attention of mathematicians.