Enriched reproducing kernel particle method for piezoelectric structures with arbitrary interfaces

A formulation based on enriched reproducing kernel particle method is proposed for analysing nonhomogenous piezoelectric structures with arbitrarily shaped material interfaces. The interfaces are represented using a set of cubic spline segments, each of which is defined by the co-ordinates and the slopes of its two end-nodes. Special enrichment functions are introduced within the reproducing kernel particle method, in order to capture discontinuities of strain and electric fields at the material interfaces. Several validation examples are provided to demonstrate the veracity and the utility of the proposed numerical method. Copyright 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd