Abstract
In this chapter, a novel semianalytical approach to continuum mechanics, known as the “scaled-boundary finite-element” method, is introduced for elasto-static problems involving an unbounded axisymmetric domain subjected to general loading. The accuracy and efficiency of the scaled boundary finite-element solutions are examined in the chapter by comparison with analytical solutions for a rigid circular footing on the surface of a homogeneous half-space subjected to vertical, horizontal, moment, and torsion loading. It is shown that as the number of nodes used to discretize the boundary increases, the computed solutions converge to the analytical solutions rapidly. Using a boundary discretized with 61 nodes, the discrepancies between the scaled-boundary finite-element solutions and the analytical solutions are negligible for all load cases.