An efficient numerical tool for electromagnetic field problems

The finite element method allows one to solve large-scale, complex electromagnetic problems. It is also highly amenable to automation. Here, a numerical solution based on third-order C/sup 1/ triangular finite element is proposed for solving 2D electromagnetic field problems. The design of this new finite element involves field variable and its derivatives as degrees of freedom compared to the standard Lagrangian polynomial based finite element available in the literature. The performance/effectiveness of the present method is studied against that of standard element. For almost same accuracy, the number of equations to be handled based on present formulation reduces to less than half of those of standard element, which, in turn, leads to significant saving in CPU time and memory requirements.