A finite volume method for the approximation of convection–diffusion equations on general meshes

A new finite volume method is presented for approximating convection–diffusion equations. This method allows general (unstructured, non‐matching, distorted) meshes to be used without the numerical results being too much altered. The method has been tested for some well‐known benchmarks involving convection and convection–diffusion operators in two space dimensions. These numerical experiments show that it is between first and second‐order accurate, according to the type of the underlying mesh. Further numerical experiments regarding the striation equations have been carried out successfully. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Unstructured,curved elements for the two‐dimensional high order discontinuous control‐volume/finite‐element method

Quadrilateral and triangular elements with curved edges are developed in the framework of spectral, discontinuous, hybrid control‐volume/finite‐element method for elliptic problems. In order to accommodate hybrid meshes, encompassing both triangular and quadrilateral elements, one single mapping is used. The scheme is applied to two‐dimensional problems with discontinuous, anisotropic diffusion coefficients, and the exponential convergence of the method is verified in the presence of curved geometries. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

任意多边形上非定常扩散方程的单元中心型有限体积格式

针对二维非定常扩散方程,构造适用于任意多边形网格的单元中心型有限体积格式。采用向后欧拉格式进行时间离散,空间上在离散扩散算子时,利用网格顶点作为辅助插值点,通过求解一个欠定方程组将辅助插值点信息替换成网格单元中心点信息,最终得到只含单元中心未知量的离散格式。该格式既满足局部守恒条件,又满足线性精确准则。在几类多边形网格上进行数值实验,分别考虑扩散系数是连续和间断的情况,发现新格式均可达到二阶收敛。其数值表现显著优于算数平均加权和逆距离加权的九点格式,与双线性插值的加权方式结果相近,并且克服了双线性插值加权方式不适用于三角形网格的弊端。数值算例表明新格式求解非线性扩散方程仍然可以达到二阶收敛。     

Very high-order accurate finite volume scheme for the convection-diffusion equation with general boundary conditions on arbitrary curved boundaries

Obtaining very high-order accurate solutions in curved domains is a challenging task as the accuracy of discretization methods may dramatically reduce without an appropriate treatment of boundary conditions. The classical techniques to preserve the nominal convergence order of accuracy, proposed in the context of finite element and finite volume methods, rely on curved mesh elements, which fit curved boundaries. Such techniques often demand sophisticated meshing algorithms, cumbersome quadrature rules for integration, and complex nonlinear transformations to map the curved mesh elements onto the reference polygonal ones. In this regard, the reconstruction for off-site data method, proposed in the work of Costa et al, provides very high-order accurate polynomial reconstructions on arbitrary smooth curved boundaries, enabling integration of the governing equations on polygonal mesh elements, and therefore, avoiding the use of complex integration quadrature rules or nonlinear transformations. The method was introduced for Dirichlet boundary conditions and the present article proposes an extension for general boundary conditions, which represents an important advance for real context applications. A generic framework to compute polynomial reconstructions is also developed based on the least-squares method, which handles general constraints and further improves the algorithm. The proposed methods are applied to solve the convection-diffusion equation with a finite volume discretization in unstructured meshes. A comprehensive numerical benchmark test suite is provided to verify and assess the accuracy, convergence orders, robustness, and efficiency, which proves that boundary conditions on arbitrary smooth curved boundaries are properly fulfilled and the nominal very high-order convergence orders are effectively achieved.     

体积约束的非局部扩散问题基于新的技巧的有限元方法

体积约束的非局部扩散问题在复合材料的断裂、多晶体的断裂、纳米纤维网络、裂缝的不稳定、图像处理等领域有重要应用,现存的数值方法精度不高。因此,设计一种高阶的有限元方法来求解二维体积约束的非局部扩散问题是十分必要的,但需克服维数增加带来的自由度骤增的困难。为此,采用了一种新技巧计算线性元的刚度矩阵,该数值方法的刚度矩阵是从一个新的矩阵$B$中提取的,该矩阵易于计算,并给出了单元的编码原理和数值计算节点的编码表达式,并通过数值算例验证了该方法对二维体积约束的非局部扩散问题具有几乎最优收敛阶。值得一提的是,求解二维体积约束的非局部扩散问题并不是平凡的。     

Approximating second‐order vector differential operators on distorted meshes in two space dimensions

A new finite volume method is presented for approximating second‐order vector differential operators in two space dimensions. This method allows distorted triangle or quadrilateral meshes to be used without the numerical results being too much altered. The matrices that need to be inverted are symmetric positive definite; therefore, the most powerful linear solvers can be applied. The method has been tested on a few second‐order vector partial differential equations coming from elasticity and fluids mechanics areas. These numerical experiments show that it is second‐order accurate and locking‐free. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Volumetric coupling approaches for multiphysics simulations on non‐matching meshes

In finite element analysis of volume coupled multiphysics, different meshes for the involved physical fields are often highly desirable in terms of solution accuracy and computational costs. We present a general methodology for volumetric coupling of different meshes within a monolithic solution scheme. A straightforward collocation approach is compared to a mortar‐based method for nodal information transfer. For the latter, dual shape functions based on the biorthogonality concept are used to build the projection matrices, thus further reducing the evaluation costs. We give a detailed explanation of the integration scheme and the construction of dual shape functions for general first‐order and second‐order Langrangian finite elements within the mortar method, as well as an analysis of the conservation properties of the projection operators. Moreover, possible incompatibilities due to different geometric approximations of curved boundaries are discussed. Numerical examples demonstrate the flexibility of the presented mortar approach for arbitrary finite element combinations in two and three dimensions and its applicability to different multiphysics coupling scenarios. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

任意形状底扁壳的线性和非线性分析

本文提出了摄动差分法求解扁壳线性和非线性弯曲问题,由于采用了任意网格剖分,可处理复杂形状边界条件及多种荷载工况。数值算例表明,本文方法具有计算量少、计算精度高、适应性强等特点。     

Finite element/finite volume approaches with adaptive time stepping strategies for transient thermal problems

Transient thermal analysis of engineering materials and structures by space discretization techniques such as the finite element method (FEM) or finite volume method (FVM) lead to a system of parabolic ordinary differential equations in time. These semidiscrete equations are traditionally solved using the generalized trapezoidal family of time integration algorithms which uses a constant single time step. This single time step is normally selected based on the stability and accuracy criteria of the time integration method employed. For long duration transient analysis and/or when severe time step restrictions as in nonlinear problems prohibit the use of taking a larger time step, a single time stepping strategy for the thermal analysis may not be optimal during the entire temporal analysis. As a consequence, an adaptive time stepping strategy which computes the time step based on the local truncation error with a good global error control may be used to obtain optimal time steps for use during the entire analysis. Such an adaptive time stepping approach is described here. Also proposed is an approach for employing combinedFEM/FVM mesh partitionings to achieve numerically improved physical representations. Adaptive time stepping is employed thoughout to practical linear/nonlinear transient engineering problems for studying their effectiveness in finite element and finite volume thermal analysis simulations. Additional support and computing times were furnished by Minnesota Supercomputer Institute at the University of Minnesota.     

Discontinuous finite volume methods for the stationary Stokes–Darcy problem

In this paper, we analyze discontinuous finite volume methods for the stationary Stokes–Darcy problem that models coupled fluid flow and porous media flow. The discontinuous finite volume methods are combinations of finite volume method and discontinuous Galerkin method with three interior penalty types (incomplete symmetric, nonsymmetric, and symmetric), briefly, using discontinuous functions as trial functions in the finite volume method. Optimal error estimates in broken H¹ norm are obtained for the three discontinuous finite volume methods. Optimal error estimates in the standard L² norm are derived for the symmetric interior penalty discontinuous finite volume method. Numerical experiments are presented to confirm the theoretical results with non‐matching meshes across the common interface of Stokes region and Darcy region. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

非线性抛物问题的对称修正有限体积元方法

本文对一类非线性抛物型方程提出对称修正有限体积元方法,给出能量模最优阶误差估计,并证明了对称修正有限体积元方法的解与一般有限体积元方法的解之差是一个更高阶项。     

A second-order face-centred finite volume method on general meshes with automatic mesh adaptation

A second-order face-centred finite volume strategy on general meshes is proposed. The method uses a mixed formulation in which a constant approximation of the unknown is computed on the faces of the mesh. Such information is then used to solve a set of problems, independent cell-by-cell, to retrieve the local values of the solution and its gradient. The main novelty of this approach is the introduction of a new basis function, utilised for the linear approximation of the primal variable in each cell. Contrary to the commonly used nodal basis, the proposed basis is suitable for computations on general meshes, including meshes with different cell types. The resulting approach provides second-order accuracy for the solution and first-order for its gradient, without the need of reconstruction procedures, is robust in the incompressible limit and insensitive to cell distortion and stretching. The second-order accuracy of the solution is exploited to devise an automatic mesh adaptivity strategy. An efficient error indicator is obtained from the computation of one extra local problem, independent cell-by-cell, and is used to drive mesh adaptivity. Numerical examples illustrating the approximation properties of the method and of the mesh adaptivity procedure are presented. The potential of the proposed method with automatic mesh adaptation is demonstrated in the context of microfluidics.     

Solving the advection–diffusion equation on unstructured meshes with discontinuous/mixed finite elements and a local time stepping procedure

Explicit schemes are known to provide less numerical diffusion in solving the advection–diffusion equation, especially for advection‐dominated problems. Traditional explicit schemes use fixed time steps restricted by the global CFL condition in order to guarantee stability. This is known to slow down the computation especially for heterogeneous domains and/or unstructured meshes. To avoid this problem, local time stepping procedures where the time step is allowed to vary spatially in order to satisfy a local CFL condition have been developed. In this paper, a local time stepping approach is used with a numerical model based on discontinuous Galerkin/mixed finite element methods to solve the advection–diffusion equation. The developments are detailed for general unstructured triangular meshes. Numerical experiments are performed to show the efficiency of the numerical model for the simulation of (i) the transport of a solute on highly unstructured meshes and (ii) density‐driven flow, where the velocity field changes at each time step. The model gives stable results with significant reduction of the computational cost especially for the non‐linear problem. Moreover, numerical diffusion is also reduced for highly advective problems. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A mixed finite volume formulation for determining the small strain deformation of incompressible materials

A finite volume formulation for determining small strain deformations in incompressible materials is presented in detail. The formulation includes displacement and hydrostatic pressure variables. The displacement field varies linearly along and across each cell face. The hydrostatic pressure field associated with each face is uniform. The cells that discretize the structure are geometrically unrestricted, each cell can have an arbitrary number of faces. The formulation is tested on a number of linear elastic plane strain benchmark problems. This testing reveals that when meshes of multifaceted cells are employed to represent the structure then locking behaviour is exhibited, but when triangular cells are used then accurate predictions of the displacement and stress fields are produced. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A finite element semi‐Lagrangian method with L2 interpolation

High‐order accurate methods for convection‐dominated problems have the potential to reduce the computational effort required for a given order of solution accuracy. The state of the art in this field is more advanced for Eulerian methods than for semi‐Lagrangian (SLAG) methods. In this paper, we introduce a new SLAG method that is based on combining the modified method of characteristics with a high‐order interpolating procedure. The method employs the finite element method on triangular meshes for the spatial discretization. An L² interpolation procedure is developed by tracking the feet of the characteristic lines from the integration nodes. Numerical results are illustrated for a linear advection–diffusion equation with known analytical solution and for the viscous Burgers’ equation. The computed results support our expectations for a robust and highly accurate finite element SLAG method. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A bubble‐inspired algorithm for finite element mesh partitioning

This paper presents a bubble‐inspired algorithm for partitioning finite element mesh into subdomains. Differing from previous diffusion BUBBLE and Center‐oriented Bubble methods, the newly proposed algorithm employs the physics of real bubbles, including nucleation, spherical growth, bubble–bubble collision, reaching critical state, and the final competing growth. The realization of foaming process of real bubbles in the algorithm enables us to create partitions with good shape without having to specify large number of artificial controls. The minimum edge cut is simply achieved by increasing the volume of each bubble in the most energy efficient way. Moreover, the order, in which an element is gathered into a bubble, delivers the minimum number of surface cells at every gathering step; thus, the optimal numbering of elements in each subdomain has naturally achieved. Because finite element solvers, such as multifrontal method, must loop over all elements in the local subdomain condensation phase and the global interface solution phase, these two features have a huge payback in terms of solver efficiency. Experiments have been conducted on various structured and unstructured meshes. The obtained results are consistently better than the classical kMetis library in terms of the edge cut, partition shape, and partition connectivity. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

基于非结构化网格同位有限体积法的粘弹流体数值模拟

采用基于非结构化三角网格的同位有限体积法模拟了聚合物溶液平板收缩流。其中,聚合物溶液微观尺度大分子的信息通过FENE-P本构模型得以在宏观场上体现。数值求解过程中,速度与压力、速度与应力间的耦合通过动量插值实现。通过与结构化网格数值结果及实验结果的比较,验证了该方法在粘弹流动问题求解中的正确性。与此同时,文中根据构象张量给出了分子微观结构直观的可视化描述方法,并分析了不同流动区域分子形变以及分子取向等微观信息。     

OPTIMIZATION STRATEGIES IN UNSTRUCTURED MESH GENERATION

We propose a new optimization strategy for unstructured meshes that, when coupled with existing automatic generators, produces meshes of high quality for arbitrary domains in 3-D. Our optimizer is based upon a non-differentiable definition of the quality of the mesh which is natural for finite element or finite volume users: the quality of the worst element in the mesh. The dimension of the optimization space is made tractable by restricting, at each iteration, to a suitable neighbourhood of the worst element. Both geometrical (node repositioning) and topological (reconnection) operations are performed. It turns out that the repositioning method is advantageous with respect to both the usual node-by-node techniques and the more recent differentiable optimization methods. Several examples are included that illustrate the efficiency of the optimizer.     

A discontinuous‐Galerkin‐based immersed boundary method

A numerical method to approximate partial differential equations on meshes that do not conform to the domain boundaries is introduced. The proposed method is conceptually simple and free of user‐defined parameters. Starting with a conforming finite element mesh, the key ingredient is to switch those elements intersected by the Dirichlet boundary to a discontinuous‐Galerkin approximation and impose the Dirichlet boundary conditions strongly. By virtue of relaxing the continuity constraint at those elements, boundary locking is avoided and optimal‐order convergence is achieved. This is shown through numerical experiments in reaction–diffusion problems. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

有限元新型自然坐标方法研究进展

网格畸变敏感问题一直是当前有限元法难以解决的问题,而新型自然坐标方法的诞生可以在一定程度上对解决这个难题有所帮助。该文介绍了有限元新型自然坐标方法研究的新近进展。包括第一类四边形面积坐标及其应用(单元构造,解析刚度矩阵的建立,以及在几何非线性问题中的应用等);第二类四边形面积坐标及其应用;六面体体积坐标及其应用。数值算例表明:无论网格如何扭曲畸变,这些基于新型自然坐标方法的有限元模型仍然保持高精度,对网格畸变不敏感。这显示了新型自然坐标方法是构造高性能单元模型的有效工具。