Pareto Tracer: a predictor–corrector method for multi-objective optimization problems

This article proposes a novel predictor–corrector (PC) method for the numerical treatment of multi-objective optimization problems (MOPs). The algorithm, Pareto Tracer (PT), is capable of performing a continuation along the set of (local) solutions of a given MOP with k objectives, and can cope with equality and box constraints. Additionally, the first steps towards a method that manages general inequality constraints are also introduced. The properties of PT are first discussed theoretically and later numerically on several examples.     

A new predictor–corrector approach for the numerical integration of coupled electromechanical equations

In this paper, a new approach for the numerical solution of coupled electromechanical problems is presented. The structure of the considered problem consists of the low‐frequency integral formulation of the Maxwell equations coupled with Newton–Euler rigid‐body dynamic equations. Two different integration schemes based on the predictor–corrector approach are presented and discussed. In the first method, the electrical equation is integrated with an implicit single‐step time marching algorithm, while the mechanical dynamics is studied by a predictor–corrector scheme. The predictor uses the forward Euler method, while the corrector is based on the trapezoidal rule. The second method is based on the use of two interleaved predictor–corrector schemes: one for the electrical equations and the other for the mechanical ones. Both the presented methods have been validated by comparison with experimental data (when available) and with results obtained by other numerical formulations; in problems characterized by low speeds, both schemes produce accurate results, with similar computation times. When high speeds are involved, the first scheme needs shorter time steps (i.e., longer computation times) in order to achieve the same accuracy of the second one. A brief discussion on extending the algorithm for simulating deformable bodies is also presented. An example of application to a two‐degree‐of‐freedom levitating device based on permanent magnets is finally reported. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Stabilized finite element methods for vertically averaged multiphase flow for carbon sequestration

A computationally efficient numerical model that describes carbon sequestration in deep saline aquifers is presented. The model is based on the multiphase flow and vertically averaged mass balance equations, requiring the solution of two partial differential equations – a pressure equation and a saturation equation. The saturation equation is a nonlinear advective equation for which the application of Galerkin finite element method (FEM) can lead to non‐physical oscillations in the solution. In this article, we extend three stabilized FEM formulations, which were developed for uncoupled systems, to the governing nonlinear coupled PDEs. The methods developed are based on the streamline upwind, the streamline upwind/Petrov–Galerkin and the least squares FEM. Two sequential solution schemes are developed: a single step and a predictor–corrector. The range of Courant numbers yielding smooth and oscillation‐free solutions is investigated for each method. The useful range of Courant numbers found depends upon both the sequential scheme (single step vs predictor–corrector) and also the time integration method used (forward Euler, backward Euler or Crank–Nicolson). For complex problems such as when two plumes meet, only the SU stabilization with an amplified stabilization parameter gives satisfactory results when large time steps are used. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A predictor–corrector-type technique for the approximate parameterization of intersection curves

We describe a method to approximate a segment of the intersection curve of two implicitly defined surfaces by a rational parametric curve. Starting from an initial solution, the method applies predictor and corrector steps in order to obtain the result. Based on a preconditioning of the two given surfaces, the corrector step is formulated as an optimization problem, where the objective function approximates the integral of the squared Euclidean distance of the curve to the intersection curve. An SQP-type method is used to solve the optimization problem numerically. Two different predictor steps, which are based on simple extrapolation and on a differential equation, are formulated. Error bounds are needed in order to certify the accuracy of the result. In the case of the intersection of two algebraic surfaces, we show how to bound the Hausdorff distance between the intersection curve (an algebraic space curve) and its rational approximation.     

An optimized predictor–corrector scheme for fast 3D crack growth simulations

An optimized predictor–corrector scheme for the accelerated simulation of 3D fatigue crack growth is presented. Based on experimental evidence, it is assumed that the crack front shape ensures a constant energy release rate. Starting from a crack front satisfying this requirement a predictor step is performed. Usually, the new crack front does not fulfill the requirement of a constant energy release rate. Therefore, several corrector steps are needed. Within the new predictor–corrector scheme the history of crack growth is taken into account to reduce the number of corrector steps. The efficiency of the new scheme is shown on two numerical examples providing a speed up of a factor above three.     

SEARCH FOR THE GLOBAL OPTIMUM OF LEAST VOLUME TRUSSES

This paper describes two types of strategies that find the global optimum of structures designed for minimum volume consumption. This bilinearly constrained problem may present multiple optima and some examples of this nonconvex behaviour are given. In the first method two branch and bound ( B & B) based approaches are presented associated with suitable convex underestimating functions. The second is a cutting plane method and is derived as a generalization of Bender's algorithm; although the relaxed problems yielded are still nonconvex, they are amenable by standard codes for 0-1 mixed LP. Frequently structural engineers are confronted with only a limited set of discrete alternatives; both solution techniques presented here are combinatorial in nature and suitable to be cast into a discrete variable model, for which the algorithms converge to the global optimum in a much smaller number of steps.     

Application of compensating diode voltmeters in metrological practice

The distinctive features of calibration and application of compensating diode voltmeters as standards are examined and the principal error of a voltmeter calibrated as a first-class standard in the 10 Hz to 1500 MHz frequency range is calculated.The Editors call the attention of authors and readers to the desirability of replacing in technical documentation and submitted papers the obsolete (according to the “Law of Unity of Measurements” passed by the Russian Federation) terms “reference measuring instrument” and, nearly always, “metrological certification” with “standard” and “calibration” respectively.Translated from Izmeritel'naya Tekhnika, No. 2, pp. 43–45, February, 1995.     

A new element‐by‐element method for trajectory calculations with tetrahedral finite element meshes

A new method to track massless particles in a three‐dimensional flow field is presented. The method is based on an element‐by‐element approach coupled with a predictor–corrector shooting scheme and does not use any time step. By analogy with time‐dependent schemes, the number of shootings is related to an equivalent number of time steps. The method has been implemented in a finite element framework using unstructured tetrahedral finite element meshes. However, it is general enough so that it can be implemented in finite difference and finite volume frameworks as well. It has been tested on a variety of flow systems namely: the Poiseuille flow in an empty circular pipe, the rotating flow in a stirred tank, the shear flow in a square tank and the flow through a static mixer. Accuracy has been found to depend on the accuracy of the velocity computation, the number of points per element and the level of mesh refinement. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A yield‐limited Lagrange multiplier formulation for frictional contact

An analogy with rigid plasticity is used to develop a constitutive framework for quasi‐static frictional contact between finitely deforming solids. Within this setting, a Lagrange multiplier method is used to impose a sharp distinction between stick and slip. The scope of the multipliers is limited by a constitutively defined ‘yield’ function and a finite element‐based predictor–corrector scheme is employed to efficiently determine the regions of stick and slip and the associated tractions. Selected simulations of planar quasi‐static problems are presented to validate the method and illustrate its capabilities. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Magnetic resonance tissue quantification using optimal bSSFP pulse-sequence design

We propose a merit function for the expected contrast to noise ratio in tissue quantifications, and formulate a nonlinear, nonconvex semidefinite optimization problem to select locally-optimal balanced steady-state free precession (bSSFP) pulse-sequence design variables. The method could be applied to other pulse sequence types, arbitrary numbers of tissues, and numbers of images. To solve the problem we use a mixture of a grid search to get good starting points, and a sequential, semidefinite, trust-region method, where the subproblems contain only linear and semidefinite constraints. We give the results of numerical experiments for the case of three tissues and three, four or six images, in which we observe a better increase in contrast to noise than would be obtained by averaging the results of repeated experiments. As an illustration, we show how the pulse sequences designed numerically could be applied to the problem of quantifying intraluminal lipid deposits in the carotid artery.     

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.     

High‐order predictor–corrector algorithms

New predictor–corrector algorithms are presented for the computation of solution paths of non‐linear partial differential equations. The predictors and the correctors are based on perturbation techniques and Padé approximants. This extends the Asymptotic Numerical Method (ANM), which is an efficient high‐order continuation technique without corrector. The efficiency and the reliability of the new technique are assessed by several examples within thin shell theory and Navier–Stokes equations. Many variants have been tested to establish an optimal algorithm. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Multi‐scale approach for simulating time‐delay biochemical reaction systems

This study presents a multi‐scale approach for simulating time‐delay biochemical reaction systems when there are wide ranges of molecular numbers. The authors construct a new efficient approach based on partitioning into slow and fast subsets in conjunction with predictor–corrector methods. This multi‐scale approach is shown to be much more efficient than existing methods such as the delay stochastic simulation algorithm and the modified next reaction method. Numerical testing on several important problems in systems biology confirms the accuracy and computational efficiency of this approach.Inspec keywords: biochemistry, delays, biological techniques, predictor‐corrector methodsOther keywords: multiscale approach, time‐delay biochemical reaction systems, predictor–corrector methods, delay stochastic simulation algorithm, modified next reaction method, numerical testing, systems biology, method accuracy, computational efficiency     

Adaptive time stepping strategy for solidification processes based on modified local time truncation error

Adaptive time step methods provide a computationally efficient means of simulating transient problems with a high degree of numerical accuracy. However, choosing appropriate time steps to model the transient characteristics of solidification processes is difficult. The Gresho–Lee–Sani predictor–corrector strategy, one of the most commonly applied adaptive time step methods, fails to accurately model the latent heat release associated with phase change due to its exaggerated time steps while the apparent heat capacity method is applied. Accordingly, the current study develops a modified local time truncation error‐based strategy designed to adaptively adjust the size of the time step during the simulated solidification procedure in such a way that the effects of latent heat release are more accurately modeled and the precision of the computational solutions correspondingly improved. The computational accuracy and efficiency of the proposed method are demonstrated via the simulation of several one‐dimensional and two‐dimensional thermal problems characterized by different phase change phenomena and boundary conditions. The feasibility of the proposed method for the modeling of solidification processes is further verified via its applications to the enthalpy method. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A heterogeneous space–time full approximation storage multilevel method for molecular dynamics simulations

A heterogeneous space–time full approximation storage (HFAS) multilevel formulation for molecular dynamics simulations is developed. The method consists of a waveform Newton smoothing that produces initial space–time iterates and a coarse model correction. The formulation is coined as heterogeneous since it permits different interatomic potentials to be applied at different physical scales. This results in a flexible framework for physics coupling. Time integration is performed in windows using the implicit Newmark predictor–corrector method that permits larger time integration steps than the explicit method. The size of the time steps is governed by accuracy rather than by stability considerations of the algorithm. We study three different variants of the method: the Picard iteration, constrained dynamics and force splitting. Numerical examples show that FAS based on force splitting provides significant time savings compared to standard explicit methods and alternative implicit space–time schemes. Parallel studies of the Picard iteration on harmonic problems illustrate the time parallelization effect that leads to a superior parallel performance compared to explicit methods. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Non-linear finite element analysis of large amplitude sloshing flow in two-dimensional tank

This paper is concerned with the accurate and stable finite element analysis of large amplitude liquid sloshing in two-dimensional tank under the forced excitation. The sloshing flow is formulated as an initial-boundary-value problem based upon the fully non-linear potential flow theory. The flow velocity field is interpolated from the velocity potential with second-order elements according to least square method, and the free surface conditions are tracked by making use of the direct time differentiation and the predictor–corrector method. Meanwhile, the liquid mesh is adapted such that the incompressibility condition is strictly satisfied. The accuracy and stability of the numerical method introduced are verified from the comparison with the existing reference solutions. As well, the numerical results are compared with those obtained by the linear theory with respect to the liquid fill height and the excitation amplitude. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Curved crack propagation based on configurational forces

A numerical scheme is presented to predict crack trajectories in two-dimensional components. First a relation between the curvature in mixed-mode crack propagation and the corresponding configurational forces is derived, based on the principle of maximum dissipation. With the help of this, a numerical scheme is presented, which is based on a predictor–corrector method using the configurational forces acting on the crack together with their derivatives along real and test paths. With the help of this scheme it is possible to take bigger than usual propagation steps, represented by splines. Essential for this approach is the correct numerical determination of the configurational forces acting on the crack tip. The methods used by other authors are shortly reviewed and an approach that can be extended to arbitrary non-homogenous and non-linear materials with mixed-mode cracks is presented. Numerical examples show, that the method is a able to predict the crack paths in components with holes, stiffeners, etc. with good accuracy.     

An improved numerical scheme for the sine‐Gordon equation in 2+1 dimensions

A rational approximant of order 4, which is applied to a three‐time‐level recurrence relation, is used to transform the initial/boundary‐value problem associated with the two‐dimensional sine‐Gordon (SG) equation arising in the Josephson junctions problem. The resulting non‐linear system, which is analyzed for stability, is solved using an appropriate predictor–corrector (P–C) scheme, in which an explicit scheme of order 2 is used as predictor. For the implementation of the corrector, in order to avoid extended matrix evaluations, an auxiliary vector was successfully introduced. In this P–C scheme, a modification in the corrector has been proposed according to which the already evaluated corrected values are considered. The behavior of this P–C scheme is tested numerically on line and ring solitons known from the bibliography regarding the SG equation and conclusions for both undamped and damped problems are derived. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.