A procedure to assemble only non-zero coefficients of global matrix in finite element analysis

Abstract A procedure to assemble only non-zero coefficients of a global matrix of finite element analysis in a one-dimensional array is proposed. The procedure uses a stencil matrix and a template matrix at intermediate stages to finally arrive at the one-dimensional global array. The intermediate operations are done with matrices consisting of only integers. The element matrices are handled only during the final step of the assembly. The procedure is simple and modular. The procedure has been implemented in a computer program and demonstrated using an example problem in the context of h-adaptive refined finite element meshes.