On finite element formulations for nearly incompressible linear elasticity

In this paper we present a mixed stabilized finite element formulation that does not lock and also does not exhibit unphysical oscillations near the incompressible limit. The new mixed formulation is based on a multiscale variational principle and is presented in two different forms. In the first form the displacement field is decomposed into two scales, coarse-scale and fine-scale, and the fine-scale variables are eliminated at the element level by the static condensation technique. The second form is obtained by simplifying the first form, and eliminating the fine-scale variables analytically yet retaining their effect that results with additional (stabilization) terms. We also derive, in a consistent manner, an expression for the stabilization parameter. This derivation also proves the equivalence between the classical mixed formulation with bubbles and the Galerkin least-squares type formulations for the equations of linear elasticity. We also compare the performance of this new mixed stabilized formulation with other popular finite element formulations by performing numerical simulations on three well known test problems.     

A discrete splitting finite element method for numerical simulations of incompressible Navier–Stokes flows

The presence of the pressure and the convection terms in incompressible Navier–Stokes equations makes their numerical simulation a challenging task. The indefinite system as a consequence of the absence of the pressure in continuity equation is ill‐conditioned. This difficulty has been overcome by various splitting techniques, but these techniques incur the ambiguity of numerical boundary conditions for the pressure as well as for the intermediate velocity (whenever introduced). We present a new and straightforward discrete splitting technique which never resorts to numerical boundary conditions. The non‐linear convection term can be treated by four different approaches, and here we present a new linear implicit time scheme. These two new techniques are implemented with a finite element method and numerical verifications are made. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Stable and time-dissipative finite element methods for the incompressible Navier–Stokes equations in advection dominated flows

This paper examines a new Galerkin method with scaled bubble functions which replicates the exact artificial diffusion methods in the case of 1-D scalar advection–diffusion and that leads to non-oscillatory solutions as the streamline upwinding algorithms for 2-D scalar advection–diffusion and incompressible Navier–Stokes. This method retains the satisfaction of the Babuska–Brezzi condition and, thus, leads to optimal performance in the incompressible limit. This method, when, combined with the recently proposed linear unconditionally stable algorithms of Simo and Armero (1993), yields a method for solution of the incompressible Navier–Stokes equations ideal for either diffusive or advection-dominated flows. Examples from scalar advection–diffusion and the solution of the incompressible Navier–Stokes equations are presented.     

Coarse/fine mesh preconditioners for the iterative solution of finite element problems

A class of preconditioners built around a coarse/fine mesh framework is presented. The proposed method involves the reconstruction of the stiffness equations using a coarse/fine mesh idealization with relative degrees-of-freedom derived from the element shape functions. This approach leads naturally to effective preconditioners for iterative solvers which only require a factorization involving coarse mesh variables. A further extension is the application of the proposed method to super-elements in conjunction with substructuring (domain decomposition) techniques. The derivation of the coarse/fine mesh discretization via the use of transformation matrices, allows a straightforward implementation of the proposed techniques (as well as multigrid type procedures) within an existing finite element system.     

A parallel frontal solver for finite element applications

In finite element simulations, the overall computing time is dominated by the time needed to solve large sparse linear systems of equations. We report on the design and development of a parallel frontal code that can significantly reduce the wallclock time needed for the solution of these systems. The algorithm used is based on dividing the finite element domain into subdomains and applying the frontal method to each subdomain in parallel. The so‐called multiple front approach is shown to reduce the amount of work and memory required compared with the frontal method and, when run on a small number of processes, achieves good speedups. The code, HSL_MP42, has been developed for the Harwell Subroutine Library (http://www.numerical.rl.ac.uk/hsl). It is written in Fortran 90 and, by using MPI for message passing, achieves portability across a wide range of modern computer architectures. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A three-step finite element method for unsteady incompressible flows

This paper describes a three-step finite element method and its applications to unsteady incompressible fluid flows. The stability analysis of the one-dimensional purely convection equation shows that this method has third-order accuracy and an extended numerical stability domain in comparison with the Lax-Wendroff finite element method. The method is cost effective for incompressible flows, because it permits less frequent updates of the pressure field with good accuracy. In contrast with the Taylor-Galerkin method, the present three-step finite element method does not contain any new higher-order derivatives, and is suitable for solving non-linear multi-dimensional problems and flows with complicated outlet boundary conditions. The three-step finite element method has been used to simulate unsteady incompressible flows, such as the vortex pairing in mixing layer. The properties of the flow fields are displayed by the marker and cell technique. The obtained numerical results are in good agreement with the literature.     

The CIP method embedded in finite element discretizations of incompressible fluid flows

Quite effective low‐order finite element and finite volume methods for incompressible fluid flows have been established and are widely used. However, higher‐order finite element methods that are stable, have high accuracy and are computationally efficient are still sought. Such discretization schemes could be particularly useful to establish error estimates in numerical solutions of fluid flows. The objective of this paper is to report on a study in which the cubic interpolated polynomial (CIP) method is embedded into 4‐node and 9‐node finite element discretizations of 2D flows in order to stabilize the convective terms. To illustrate the capabilities of the formulations, the results obtained in the solution of the driven flow square cavity problem are given. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Lagrangian finite element analysis of Newtonian fluid flows

A fully Lagrangian finite element method for the analysis of Newtonian flows is developed. The approach furnishes, in effect, a Lagrangian implementation of the compressible Navier–Stokes equations. As the flow proceeds, the mesh is maintained undistorted through continuous and adaptive remeshing of the fluid mass. The principal advantage of the present approach lies in the treatment of boundary conditions at material surfaces such as free boundaries, fluid/fluid or fluid/solid interfaces. In contrast to Eulerian approaches, boundary conditions are enforced at material surfaces ab initio and therefore require no special attention. Consistent tangents are obtained for Lagrangian implicit analysis of a Newtonian fluid flow which may exhibit compressibility effects. The accuracy of the approach is assessed by comparison of the solution for a sloshing problem with existing numerical results and its versatility demonstrated through a simulation of wave breaking. The finite element mesh is maintained undistorted throughout the computation by recourse to frequent and adaptive remeshing © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The iterative group implicit algorithm for parallel transient finite element analysis

The Iterative Group Implicit (IGI) algorithm is developed for the parallel solution of general structural dynamic problems. In this method the original structure is partitioned into a number of a subdomains. Each subdomain is solved independently and therefore concurrently, using any traditional direct solution method. The IGI algorithm is an extension of the Group Implicit (GI) algorithm, and similarly to that method compatibility of the interface degrees of freedom is restored using a mass averaging rule. However, unlike the GI algorithm, in the IGI algorithm an iterative procedure is devised to restore equilibrium at the interface degrees of freedom. The IGI method has the same algorithmic characteristics as the underlying solution method used to solve each subdomain. Furthermore, the solution obtained by this method, once the iteration converges, is the same as the one obtained if the subdomain solution method is used to solve the whole structure. Numerical studies are carried out which demonstrate that the performance of the IGI algorithm is superior to that of the GI algorithm both in terms of accuracy and efficiency. Finally, the IGI method is highly modular and scalable, and therefore very well suited for distributed and parallel computing. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A semi-implicit fractional step finite element method for viscous incompressible flows

This paper describes a new semi-implicit finite element algorithm for time-dependent viscous incompressible flows. The algorithm is of a general type and can handle both low and high Reynolds number flows, although the emphasis is on convection dominated flows. An explicit three-step method is used for the convection term and an implicit trapezoid method for the diffusion term. The consistent mass matrix is only used in the momentum phase of the fractional step algorithm while the lumped mass matrix is used in the pressure phase and in the pressure Poisson equation. An accuracy and stability analysis of the algorithm is provided for the pure convection equation. Two different types of boundary conditions for the end-of-step velocity of the fractional step algorithm have been investigated. Numerical tests for the lid-driven cavity at Re=1 and Re=7500 and flow past a circular cylinder at Re=100 are presented to demonstrate the usefulness of the method.     

A finite element method for crack growth without remeshing

An improvement of a new technique for modelling cracks in the finite element framework is presented. A standard displacement‐based approximation is enriched near a crack by incorporating both discontinuous fields and the near tip asymptotic fields through a partition of unity method. A methodology that constructs the enriched approximation from the interaction of the crack geometry with the mesh is developed. This technique allows the entire crack to be represented independently of the mesh, and so remeshing is not necessary to model crack growth. Numerical experiments are provided to demonstrate the utility and robustness of the proposed technique. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

High-performance parallel computing for incompressible flow simulations

High-performance parallel computer systems have been employed to compute a variety of three-dimensional incompressible fluid flows. Three different numerical methods have been used for the discretization of the Navier-Stokes equations, with domain decomposition techniques employed for the parallel resolution of the discretized equations. These parallel flow solvers have been applied to the numerical simulation of different flows, ranging from basic flow studies to industrial applications. The results of these studies show that high-performance parallel computing has evolved from its initial investigative phase into a mature technology that can be employed for large-scale numerical flow simulation.     

Towards parallel I/O in finite element simulations

I/O issues in finite element analysis on parallel processors are addressed. Viable solutions for both local and shared memory multiprocessors are presented. The approach is simple but limited by currently available hardware and software systems. Implementation is carried out on a CRAY-2 system. Performance results are reported.     

Stability of parallel flows by the finite element method

This paper presents and results obtained from the stabilitystudies of plane Poiseuille flow and magnetohydrodynamic flow by the finite element method. Applying Galerkin's weighted residual method and introducing the interpolation function in the exponetial form with respect to time, the governing flow equations are reduced to an eigenvalue problem. This formulation is much simpler than that of the asymptotic expansion method. Solutions are obtained directly in terms of velocity and pressure. Results of the critical Reynolds number obtained by this method compare well with those of other methods for plane Poiseuille flow and magnetohydrodynamic flow.     

A new sparse matrix vector multiplication graphics processing unit algorithm designed for finite element problems

Recently, graphics processing units (GPUs) have been increasingly leveraged in a variety of scientific computing applications. However, architectural differences between CPUs and GPUs necessitate the development of algorithms that take advantage of GPU hardware. As sparse matrix vector (SPMV) multiplication operations are commonly used in finite element analysis, a new SPMV algorithm and several variations are developed for unstructured finite element meshes on GPUs. The effective bandwidth of current GPU algorithms and the newly proposed algorithms are measured and analyzed for 15 sparse matrices of varying sizes and varying sparsity structures. The effects of optimization and differences between the new GPU algorithm and its variants are then subsequently studied. Lastly, both new and current SPMV GPU algorithms are utilized in the GPU CG solver in GPU finite element simulations of the heart. These results are then compared against parallel PETSc finite element implementation results. The effective bandwidth tests indicate that the new algorithms compare very favorably with current algorithms for a wide variety of sparse matrices and can yield very notable benefits. GPU finite element simulation results demonstrate the benefit of using GPUs for finite element analysis and also show that the proposed algorithms can yield speedup factors up to 12‐fold for real finite element applications. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A mortar‐finite element formulation for frictional contact problems

In this paper a finite element formulation is developed for the solution of frictional contact problems. The novelty of the proposed formulation involves discretizing the contact interface with mortar elements, originally proposed for domain decomposition problems. The mortar element method provides a linear transformation of the displacement field for each boundary of the contacting continua to an intermediate mortar surface. On the mortar surface, contact kinematics are easily evaluated on a single discretized space. The procedure provides variationally consistent contact pressures and assures the contact surface integrals can be evaluated exactly. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An efficient fluid-solid coupled finite element scheme for weapon fragmentation simulations

An efficient finite element (FE) scheme to deal with a class of coupled fluid-solid problems is presented. The main ingredients of such methodology are: an accurate Q1/P0 solid element (trilinear in velocities and constant piecewise-discontinuous pressures); a large deformation plasticity model; an algorithm to deal with material failure, cracking propagation and fragment formation; and a fragment rigidization methodology to avoid the possible numerical instabilities that may produce pieces of material flying away from the main solid body. All the mentioned schemes have been fully parallelized and coupled using a loose-embedded procedure with a well-established and validated computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code (FEFLO). A CSD and a CFD/CSD coupled case are presented and analyzed.     

A novel finite element formulation for frictionless contact problems

This article advocates a new methodology for the finite element solution of contact problems involving bodies that may undergo finite motions and deformations. The analysis is based on a decomposition of the two-body contact problem into two simultaneous sub-problems, and results naturally in geometrically unbiased discretization of the contacting surfaces. A proposed two-dimensional contact element is specifically designed to unconditionally allow for exact transmission of constant normal traction through interacting surfaces.     

Adaptive finite element methodology for tumour angiogenesis modelling

In this paper, we consider an adaptive finite element approach for reliable, efficient solution of a class of continuum models for tumour‐induced angiogenesis. The ideas are demonstrated using an established three equation reaction/transport model that simulates aspects of tumour‐induced angiogenesis in a deterministic manner. The weak variational formulation and finite element approximation scheme for the model are developed, and a statistical approach for concurrent adaptive mesh refinement and coarsening is described. The appropriate form of the model and solution dependence on choice of parameters are explored. Computational results are presented for 1D, 2D and 3D geometry models. The effectiveness of the open‐source, parallel adaptive software library (LibMesh) that is being developed in the CFDLab at the University of Texas is also demonstrated. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.