Automatic coarsening of three dimensional anisotropic unstructured meshes for multigrid applications

International audienceThis paper describes an algorithm designed for the automatic coarsening of three-dimensional unstructured simplicial meshes. This algorithm can handle very anisotropic meshes like the ones typically used to capture the boundary layers in CFD with Low Reynolds turbulence modeling that can have aspect ratio as high as 104. It is based on the concept of mesh generation governed by metrics and on the use of a natural metric mapping the initial (fine) mesh into an equilateral one. The paper discusses and compares several ways to define node based metric from element based metric. Then the semi-coarsening algorithm is described. Several application examples are presented, including a full three-dimensional complex model of an aircraft with extremely high anisotropy

Generalizing Reduction-Based Algebraic Multigrid

Algebraic Multigrid (AMG) methods are often robust and effective solvers for solving the large and sparse linear systems that arise from discretized PDEs and other problems, relying on heuristic graph algorithms to achieve their performance. Reduction-based AMG (AMGr) algorithms attempt to formalize these heuristics by providing two-level convergence bounds that depend concretely on properties of the partitioning of the given matrix into its fine- and coarse-grid degrees of freedom. MacLachlan and Saad (SISC 2007) proved that the AMGr method yields provably robust two-level convergence for symmetric and positive-definite matrices that are diagonally dominant, with a convergence factor bounded as a function of a coarsening parameter. However, when applying AMGr algorithms to matrices that are not diagonally dominant, not only do the convergence factor bounds not hold, but measured performance is notably degraded. Here, we present modifications to the classical AMGr algorithm that improve its performance on matrices that are not diagonally dominant, making use of strength of connection, sparse approximate inverse (SPAI) techniques, and interpolation truncation and rescaling, to improve robustness while maintaining control of the algorithmic costs. We present numerical results demonstrating the robustness of this approach for both classical isotropic diffusion problems and for non-diagonally dominant systems coming from anisotropic diffusion

A node-nested Galerkin multigrid method for metal forging simulation

International audienceA node-nested Galerkin multigrid method is developed to solve systems provided by mixed formulations of 3D metal forming problems. An algebraic approach is used where operators are built on node-nested coarse meshes obtained by an automatic coarsening algorithm. This blackbox multigrid preconditioner is developed within the PETSc library. It is plugged to the FORGE3® finite element software. The linear rate of convergence and the very high efficiency of the resulting multigrid solver are evaluated for large scale problems with nonlinear behaviour

A 3D agglomeration multigrid solver for the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations on unstructured meshes

An agglomeration multigrid strategy is developed and implemented for the solution of three-dimensional steady viscous flows. The method enables convergence acceleration with minimal additional memory overheads, and is completely automated, in that it can deal with grids of arbitrary construction. The multigrid technique is validated by comparing the delivered convergence rates with those obtained by a previously developed overset-mesh multigrid approach, and by demonstrating grid independent convergence rates for aerodynamic problems on very large grids. Prospects for further increases in multigrid efficiency for high-Reynolds number viscous flows on highly stretched meshes are discussed

A Domain-Decomposed Multilevel Method for Adaptively Refined Cartesian Grids with Embedded Boundaries

Preliminary verification and validation of an efficient Euler solver for adaptively refined Cartesian meshes with embedded boundaries is presented. The parallel, multilevel method makes use of a new on-the-fly parallel domain decomposition strategy based upon the use of space-filling curves, and automatically generates a sequence of coarse meshes for processing by the multigrid smoother. The coarse mesh generation algorithm produces grids which completely cover the computational domain at every level in the mesh hierarchy. A series of examples on realistically complex three-dimensional configurations demonstrate that this new coarsening algorithm reliably achieves mesh coarsening ratios in excess of 7 on adaptively refined meshes. Numerical investigations of the scheme's local truncation error demonstrate an achieved order of accuracy between 1.82 and 1.88. Convergence results for the multigrid scheme are presented for both subsonic and transonic test cases and demonstrate W-cycle multigrid convergence rates between 0.84 and 0.94. Preliminary parallel scalability tests on both simple wing and complex complete aircraft geometries shows a computational speedup of 52 on 64 processors using the run-time mesh partitioner

Algebraic multigrid for stabilized finite element discretizations of the Navier Stokes equation

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 2002.Includes bibliographical references (p. 141-152).A multilevel method for the solution of systems of equations generated by stabilized Finite Element discretizations of the Euler and Navier Stokes equations on generalized unstructured grids is described. The method is based on an elemental agglomeration multigrid which produces a hierarchical sequence of coarse subspaces. Linear combinations of the basis functions from a given space form the next subspace and the use of the Galerkin Coarse Grid Approximation (GCA) within an Algebraic Multigrid (AMG) context properly defines the hierarchical sequence. The multigrid coarse spaces constructed by the elemental agglomeration algorithm are based on a semi-coarsening scheme designed to reduce grid anisotropy. The multigrid transfer operators are induced by the graph of the coarse space mesh and proper consideration is given to the boundary conditions for an accurate representation of the coarse space operators. A generalized line implicit relaxation scheme is also described where the lines are constructed to follow the direction of strongest coupling. The solution algorithm is motivated by the decomposition of the system characteristics into acoustic and convective modes. Analysis of the application of elemental agglomeration AMG (AMGe) to stabilized numerical schemes shows that a characteristic length based rescaling of the numerical stabilization is necessary for a consistent multigrid representation.by Tolulope Olawale Okusanya.Ph.D

Final report on the Copper Mountain conference on multigrid methods

The Copper Mountain Conference on Multigrid Methods was held on April 6-11, 1997. It took the same format used in the previous Copper Mountain Conferences on Multigrid Method conferences. Over 87 mathematicians from all over the world attended the meeting. 56 half-hour talks on current research topics were presented. Talks with similar content were organized into sessions. Session topics included: fluids; domain decomposition; iterative methods; basics; adaptive methods; non-linear filtering; CFD; applications; transport; algebraic solvers; supercomputing; and student paper winners