Numerical recipes of virtual element method for phase field modeling of brittle fracture

In this work, a new and efficient virtual element formulation for non-standard phase field model of brittle fracture is presented. A multi-pass alternative minimization solution scheme based on algorithm operator splitting is utilized, which decouples the whole problem into two parts, namely, mechanical and damage sub-problems. The former is treated as elasto-static problem, while the latter one is treated as Poisson-type of reaction-diffusion equation subjected to bounded and irreversibility constraint. To demonstrate the performance of proposed formulation, several benchmark problems are studied and results are in good agreement with corresponding finite element calculations and experimental studies

Introduction to the Virtual Element Method for 2D Elasticity

An introductory exposition of the virtual element method (VEM) is provided. The intent is to make this method more accessible to those unfamiliar with VEM. Familiarity with the finite element method for solving 2D linear elasticity problems is assumed. Derivations relevant to successful implementation are covered. Some theory is covered, but the focus here is on implementation and results. Examples are given that illustrate the utility of the method. Numerical results are provided to help researchers implement and verify their own results.Comment: 28 pages, 9 figures Corrections: Section 13: strain operator definition now refers to some equations in the paper for clarification on using the strain operator Section 13: Typo fixed regarding dimensions of capital Pi matri

A virtual element method for the elasticity problem allowing small edges

In this paper we analyze a virtual element method for the two dimensional elasticity problem allowing small edges. With this approach, the classic assumptions on the geometrical features of the polygonal meshes can be relaxed. In particular, we consider only star-shaped polygons for the meshes. Suitable error estimates are presented, where a rigorous analysis on the influence of the Lam\'e constants in each estimate is presented. We report numerical tests to assess the performance of the method

A new family of semi-implicit Finite Volume / Virtual Element methods for incompressible flows on unstructured meshes

We introduce a new family of high order accurate semi-implicit schemes for the solution of non-linear hyperbolic partial differential equations on unstructured polygonal meshes. The time discretization is based on a splitting between explicit and implicit terms that may arise either from the multi-scale nature of the governing equations, which involve both slow and fast scales, or in the context of projection methods, where the numerical solution is projected onto the physically meaningful solution manifold. We propose to use a high order finite volume (FV) scheme for the explicit terms, ensuring conservation property and robustness across shock waves, while the virtual element method (VEM) is employed to deal with the discretization of the implicit terms, which typically requires an elliptic problem to be solved. The numerical solution is then transferred via suitable L2 projection operators from the FV to the VEM solution space and vice-versa. High order time accuracy is achieved using the semi-implicit IMEX Runge-Kutta schemes, and the novel schemes are proven to be asymptotic preserving and well-balanced. As representative models, we choose the shallow water equations (SWE), thus handling multiple time scales characterized by a different Froude number, and the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations (INS), which are solved at the aid of a projection method to satisfy the solenoidal constraint of the velocity field. Furthermore, an implicit discretization for the viscous terms is devised for the INS model, which is based on the VEM technique. Consequently, the CFL-type stability condition on the maximum admissible time step is based only on the fluid velocity and not on the celerity nor on the viscous eigenvalues. A large suite of test cases demonstrates the accuracy and the capabilities of the new family of schemes to solve relevant benchmarks in the field of incompressible fluids

Multiscale VEM for the Biot consolidation analysis of complex and highly heterogeneous domains

We introduce a novel heterogeneous multi-scale method for the consolidation analysis of two-dimensional porous domains with a complex micro-structure. A two-scale strategy is implemented wherein an arbitrary polygonal domain can be discretized into clusters of polygonal elements, each with its own set of fine scale discretization. The method harnesses the advantages of the Virtual Element Method into accurately capturing fine scale heterogeneities of arbitrary polygonal shapes. The upscaling is performed through a set of numerically evaluated multi-scale basis functions. The solution of the coupled governing equations is performed at the coarse-scale at a reduced computational cost. We discuss the computation of the multi-scale basis functions and corresponding virtual projection operators. The performance of the method in terms of accuracy and computational efficiency is evaluated through a set of numerical examples for poro-elastic materials with heterogeneities of various shapes

Multiscale aeroelastic modelling in porous composite structures

Driven by economic, environmental and ergonomic concerns, porous composites are increasingly being adopted by the aeronautical and structural engineering communities for their improved physical and mechanical properties. Such materials often possess highly heterogeneous material descriptions and tessellated/complex geometries. Deploying commercially viable porous composite structures necessitates numerical methods that are capable of accurately and efficiently handling these complexities within the prescribed design iterations. Classical numerical methods, such as the Finite Element Method (FEM), while extremely versatile, incur large computational costs when accounting for heterogeneous inclusions and high frequency waves. This often renders the problem prohibitively expensive, even with the advent of modern high performance computing facilities. Multiscale Finite Element Methods (MsFEM) is an order reduction strategy specifically developed to address such issues. This is done by introducing meshes at different scales. All underlying physics and material descriptions are explicitly resolved at the fine scale. This information is then mapped onto the coarse scale through a set of numerically evaluated multiscale basis functions. The problems are then solved at the coarse scale at a significantly reduced cost and mapped back to the fine scale using the same multiscale shape functions. To this point, the MsFEM has been developed exclusively with quadrilateral/hexahedral coarse and fine elements. This proves highly inefficient when encountering complex coarse scale geometries and fine scale inclusions. A more flexible meshing scheme at all scales is essential for ensuring optimal simulation runtimes. The Virtual Element Method (VEM) is a relatively recent development within the computational mechanics community aimed at handling arbitrary polygonal (potentially non-convex) elements. In this thesis, novel VEM formulations for poromechanical problems (consolidation and vibroacoustics) are developed. This is then integrated at the fine scale into the multiscale procedure to enable versatile meshing possibilities. Further, this enhanced capability is also extended to the coarse scale to allow for efficient macroscale discretizations of complex structures. The resulting Multiscale Virtual Element Method (MsVEM) is originally applied to problems in elastostatics, consolidation and vibroacoustics in porous media to successfully drive down computational run times without significantly affecting accuracy. Following this, a parametric Model Order Reduction scheme for coupled problems is introduced for the first time at the fine scale to obtain a Reduced Basis Multiscale Virtual Element Method. This is used to augment the rate of multiscale basis function evaluation in spectral acoustics problems. The accuracy of all the above novel contributions are investigated in relation to standard numerical methods, i.e., the FEM and MsFEM, analytical solutions and experimental data. The associated efficiency is quantified in terms of computational run-times, complexity analyses and speed-up metrics. Several extended applications of the VEM and the MsVEM are briefly visited, e.g., VEM phase field Methods for brittle fracture, structural and acoustical topology optimization, random vibrations and stochastic dynamics, and structural vibroacoustics