Multi-patch discontinuous Galerkin isogeometric analysis for wave propagation: explicit time-stepping and efficient mass matrix inversion

We present a class of spline finite element methods for time-domain wave propagation which are particularly amenable to explicit time-stepping. The proposed methods utilize a discontinuous Galerkin discretization to enforce continuity of the solution field across geometric patches in a multi-patch setting, which yields a mass matrix with convenient block diagonal structure. Over each patch, we show how to accurately and efficiently invert mass matrices in the presence of curved geometries by using a weight-adjusted approximation of the mass matrix inverse. This approximation restores a tensor product structure while retaining provable high order accuracy and semi-discrete energy stability. We also estimate the maximum stable timestep for spline-based finite elements and show that the use of spline spaces result in less stringent CFL restrictions than equivalent piecewise continuous or discontinuous finite element spaces. Finally, we explore the use of optimal knot vectors based on L2 n-widths. We show how the use of optimal knot vectors can improve both approximation properties and the maximum stable timestep, and present a simple heuristic method for approximating optimal knot positions. Numerical experiments confirm the accuracy and stability of the proposed methods

von Neumann Stability Analysis of Globally Constraint-Preserving DGTD and PNPM Schemes for the Maxwell Equations using Multidimensional Riemann Solvers

The time-dependent equations of computational electrodynamics (CED) are evolved consistent with the divergence constraints. As a result, there has been a recent effort to design finite volume time domain (FVTD) and discontinuous Galerkin time domain (DGTD) schemes that satisfy the same constraints and, nevertheless, draw on recent advances in higher order Godunov methods. This paper catalogues the first step in the design of globally constraint-preserving DGTD schemes. The algorithms presented here are based on a novel DG-like method that is applied to a Yee-type staggering of the electromagnetic field variables in the faces of the mesh. The other two novel building blocks of the method include constraint-preserving reconstruction of the electromagnetic fields and multidimensional Riemann solvers; both of which have been developed in recent years by the first author. We carry out a von Neumann stability analysis of the entire suite of DGTD schemes for CED at orders of accuracy ranging from second to fourth. A von Neumann stability analysis gives us the maximal CFL numbers that can be sustained by the DGTD schemes presented here at all orders. It also enables us to understand the wave propagation characteristics of the schemes in various directions on a Cartesian mesh. We find that the CFL of DGTD schemes decreases with increasing order. To counteract that, we also present constraint-preserving PNPM schemes for CED. We find that the third and fourth order constraint-preserving DGTD and P1PM schemes have some extremely attractive properties when it comes to low-dispersion, low-dissipation propagation of electromagnetic waves in multidimensions. Numerical accuracy tests are also provided to support the von Neumann stability analysis

On discretely entropy conservative and entropy stable discontinuous Galerkin methods

High order methods based on diagonal-norm summation by parts operators can be shown to satisfy a discrete conservation or dissipation of entropy for nonlinear systems of hyperbolic PDEs. These methods can also be interpreted as nodal discontinuous Galerkin methods with diagonal mass matrices. In this work, we describe how use flux differencing, quadrature-based projections, and SBP-like operators to construct discretely entropy conservative schemes for DG methods under more arbitrary choices of volume and surface quadrature rules. The resulting methods are semi-discretely entropy conservative or entropy stable with respect to the volume quadrature rule used. Numerical experiments confirm the stability and high order accuracy of the proposed methods for the compressible Euler equations in one and two dimensions

An unconditionally stable algorithm for generalized thermoelasticity based on operator-splitting and time-discontinuous Galerkin finite element methods

An efficient time-stepping algorithm is proposed based on operator-splitting and the space–time discontinuous Galerkin finite element method for problems in the non-classical theory of thermoelasticity. The non-classical theory incorporates three models: the classical theory based on Fourier’s law of heat conduction resulting in a hyperbolic–parabolic coupled system, a non-classical theory of a fully-hyperbolic extension, and a combination of the two. The general problem is split into two contractive sub-problems, namely the mechanical phase and the thermal phase. Each sub-problem is discretized using the space–time discontinuous Galerkin finite element method. The sub-problems are stable which then leads to unconditional stability of the global product algorithm. A number of numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the performance and capability of the method