The XFEM for high‐gradient solutions in convection‐dominated problems

Convection‐dominated problems typically involve solutions with high gradients near the domain boundaries (boundary layers) or inside the domain (shocks). The approximation of such solutions by means of the standard finite element method requires stabilization in order to avoid spurious oscillations. However, accurate results may still require a mesh refinement near the high gradients. Herein, we investigate the extended finite element method (XFEM) with a new enrichment scheme that enables highly accurate results without stabilization or mesh refinement. A set of regularized Heaviside functions is used for the enrichment in the vicinity of the high gradients. Different linear and non‐linear problems in one and two dimensions are considered and show the ability of the proposed enrichment to capture arbitrary high gradients in the solutions. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A formulation for frictionless contact problems using a weak form introduced by Nitsche

In this paper a finite element formulation for frictionless contact problems with non-matching meshes in the contact interface is presented. It is based on a non-standard variational formulation due to Nitsche and leads to a matrix formulation in the primary variables. The method modifies the unconstrained functional by adding extra terms and a stabilization which is related to the classical penalty method. These new terms are characterized by the presence of contact forces that are computed from the stresses in the continuum elements. They can be seen as a sort of Lagrangian-type contributions. Due to the computation of the contact forces from the continuum elements, some additional degrees-of-freedom are involved in the stiffness matrix parts related to contact. These degrees-of-freedom are associated with nodes not belonging to the contact surfaces.     

A NEW TWO-DIMENSIONAL FINITE ELEMENT MODEL FOR THE SHALLOW WATER EQUATIONS USING A LAGRANGIAN FRAMEWORK CONSTRUCTED ALONG FLUID PARTICLE TRAJECTORIES

In this paper we describe a new finite element model for the tidal hydrodynamics in estuaries. The mathematical model is based on the solution of the two-dimensional shallow water equations in a Lagrangian framework which is defined along the trajectories of fluid particles. This method gives a flexible and robust numerical scheme for moving boundary flows encountered in tidal water systems. In order to validate the developed model we have, at first instance, compared our numerical results with analytical solutions obtained for domains with simple geometries. Further tests are then conducted to demonstrate the model's ability to cope with conditions such as hydraulic shock, abrupt changes in the flow domain geometry and gradual changes of water surface breadth. The change in the water surface breadth corresponds to the drying and wetting of the plains along the banks of a typical tidal river/estuary reach. The drying and wetting of flood plains result in the existence of very shallow depth of water at some sections of the flow domain during a tidal cycle. The flow equations under these conditions are strongly convection dominated. Previously published tidal models rely on either, some form of upwinding or the use of extremely fine meshes to give stable results for the convection dominated very shallow depth computations in estuaries. We show that our model can yield stable and accurate results for very shallow depths in the tidal flow domains without using any kind of artifical damping or excessive mesh refinement. Computational costs of simulating hydrodynamical conditions in a natural water course, even using a depth averaged two-dimensional approach, can be very high. The ability of our scheme to cope with convection dominated conditions has enabled us to economize the computational efforts by using coarse meshes in our finite element calculations. After the validation stage, the developed model is applied to simulate the tidal conditions in a real estuary. The comparison of the model results with the field observations shows a close agreement between these sets of data     

A complex‐variable boundary element approach to fully developed flow and heat transfer in ducts of general cross‐section

The complex‐variable boundary element method (CVBEM) is used to analyse forced convection in cooling passages with general, convex cross‐sections. Quadratic spline interpolation is employed for the modelling of coupled velocity and temperature fields. The method is well‐suited for ducts with curved surfaces and high geometric aspect ratios. The method is illustrated for ducts with rounded rectangular, elliptical and rounded diamond cross‐sections. General correlations are presented for the fully developed Nusselt number and Moody friction factor, and the Hagenbach entrance region factor. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Finite element simulation of combined buoyancy and thermocapillary driven convection in open cavities

Thermocapillary-induced and buoyancy-driven convective flows that commonly occur in crystal growth are numerically simulated using Galerkin finite element method. The physical domain comprises of a open cavity with aspect ratio one and differentially heated vertical walls. The top gas–melt interface is free to deform subject to 90° contact angle boundary conditions at the two vertical walls. The unsteady two-dimensional Navier–Stokes equations are discretized in time using Chorin-type splitting scheme and pressure is determined from the Poisson's equation. The free surface is taken to be resting on vertical spines and its evolution in time is determined from the kinematic free surface equation. The governing equations for heat and momentum are solved in the Arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian frame of reference to handle the moving boundary. The influence of Grashof number, Marangoni number, Bond number, Ohnesorge number and Prandtl number on the flow field and heat transfer is investigated.     

板结构-声场耦合分析的有限元-径向插值/有限元法

为提高板结构-声场耦合分析的计算精度,将有限元-径向点插值法(Finite Element-Radial Point Interpolation,FE-RPIM)推广到板结构-声场耦合问题的结构域分析中,推导了FE-RPIM/FEM法分析板结构-声场耦合问题的计算公式。板结构-声场耦合分析的FE-RPIM/FEM法在流体域中采用标准的有限元插值函数;在结构域中采用有限元-径向点插值法,其形函数由等参单元形函数和径向点插值函数相结合构成,继承了有限元法的单元兼容性和径向点插值法的Kronecker性质,提高了插值精度。以六面体声场-结构耦合模型为研究对象进行分析,结果表明,与板结构-声场耦合问题分析的有限元/有限元法(Finite element method/Finite element method, FEM/FEM)和光滑有限元/有限元法(Smoothed Finite Element Method/Finite Element Method, SFEM/FEM)相比,FE-RPIM/FEM在分析板结构-声场耦合问题时具有更高的精度。     

A general conjugate‐gradient‐based predictor–corrector solver for explicit finite‐element contact

A Lagrange‐multiplier based approach is presented for the general solution of multi‐body contact within an explicit finite element framework. The technique employs an explicit predictor step to permit the detection of interpenetration and then utilizes a corrector step, whose solution is obtained with a pre‐conditioned matrix‐free conjugate gradient projection method, to determine the Lagrange multipliers necessary to eliminate the predicted penetration. The predictor–corrector algorithm is developed for deformable bodies based upon the central difference method, and for rigid bodies from momentum and energy conserving approaches. Both frictionless and Coulomb‐based frictional contact idealizations are addressed. The technique imposes no time‐step constraints and quickly mitigates velocity discontinuities across closed interfaces. Special attention is directed toward contact between rigid bodies. Algorithmic moment arms conserve the translational and angular momentums of the system in the absence of external loads. Elastic collisions are captured with a two‐phase predictor–corrector approach and a geometrically approximate velocity jump criterion. The first step solves the inelastic contact problem and identifies inactive constraints between rigid bodies, while the second step generates the necessary velocity jump condition on the active constraints. The velocity criterion is shown to algorithmically preserve the system kinetic energy for two unconstrained rigid bodies. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. This paper was produced under the auspices of the U.S. Government and it is therefore not subject to copyright in the U.S.